yo ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



widely different periods ; nor is there any evident break be- 

 tween those beds that contain fossils of typical Old Red Sand- 

 stone fishes and those that enclose the reptilian remains, which 

 show strong affinities to Triassic forms. Dr. Gordon's labours 

 were continued with unflagging interest ; and from specimens 

 forwarded by him in 1891, Mr. E. T. Newton has described, 

 in the " Transactions of the Royal Society," two previously 

 unknown types of the very peculiar group of Dicynodont 

 reptiles, one of which he has named Gordonia ; and in Decem- 

 ber 1893 he described a third, provisionally referred to 

 Dinosauria, and named Ornitkosuchus. These new types 

 also show strong Triassic affinities. The apparent absence 

 of unconformability in these beds, along with their identity 

 in composition, caused Dr. Gordon to hesitate about accepting 

 the conclusion that geologists for the most part have arrived 

 at as to the age of the upper and of the lower beds of the 

 Elgin sandstones; and in 1892 he published a short paper 

 in the " Transactions of the Edinburgh Geological Society " 

 calling attention to these facts. 



He had continued to acquire information regarding local 

 antiquities ; and in 1862 he published a description of shell- 

 mounds on the southern shore of the Moray Firth, which 

 induced Sir John Lubbock to visit these relics of the past. 

 Dr. Gordon pointed out the value of such investigations in 

 showing changes in the distribution of species ; and mentions 

 the curious fact that in the mounds examined by him the 

 shells of Tapes decnssata are abundant, though this species 

 does not now live in the neighbouring seas ; it having retreated 

 considerably southwards, contrary to the direction of retreat 

 of most of the Mollusca that have abandoned our coasts since 

 the Tertiary period. 



About sixty years ago he took an active part in forming 

 the Elgin and Morayshire Literary and Scientific Associa- 

 tion, and in originating the Elgin Museum. From the 

 commencement of the Museum he laboured unceasingly 

 and earnestly to promote its usefulness alike with gifts 

 of specimens, with advice, and with personal assistance in 

 the work of naming and arranging the collections. His 

 influence has been most valuable in shaping its growth and 

 development, and it is now one of the most successful 



