10 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



the Society on the interesting group of organisms termed Conodonts, 

 discovered by Mr. John Smith in the limestones of the Ayrshire 

 coal-field, exhibited a series of beautiful plates of Silurian forms 

 from Dr. Pander's monograph of this group, and which had been 

 discovered in Russia in the older Palaeozoic strata. In the plates 

 exhibited, which he owed to the president (Professor Young), he 

 was much interested to find a very close agreement between many 

 of the Silurian and Carboniferous forms of the Conodonts, several 

 of the genera being identical, such as Cordylodus, Gnathodus, 

 Ctenognathus, Prionodus, and Lonchodus. Of these genera there 

 are several species in Mr. Smith's collection which can hardly be 

 distinguished by any difference in their external characters from 

 the drawings of the Silurian forms. Mr. Young stated that, while 

 Professor Owen was very doubtful about all of Dr. Pander's figures 

 of these organisms being referable to the teeth of fishes, yet he 

 believed that one or two of the above genera may have belonged 

 to vertebrates. As the Carboniferous forms are associated with 

 undoubted fish remains, he hoped that ere long their true nature 

 would be identified.* 



Mr. James Thomson, F.G.S., in remarking on the discovery of 

 Conodonts by Mr. Smith, said it was one of considerable im- 

 portance, and expressed his belief that ultimately these organisms 

 would be found to belong to fishes. 



PAPER READ. 



Apia/rian Observations during the successive months o/*1878. 

 By Mr. Kobt. J. Bennett. 



The weather during the months of January and February 

 being exceedingly mild, much breeding went on, and stores were 



: ' Since the above was communicated to the Society, Mr. G. Jennings 

 Hinde, F.G.S., has read a paper before the Geological Society of London, 

 entitled "Annelid Jaws from the Cambro-Silurian, Silurian, and Devonian 

 Formations in Canada, and from the Lower Carboniferous in Scotland." 

 In this paper the forms obtained from the above group of strata are referred 

 to the jaws of errant Annelids, and are classified by Mr. Hinde, from their 

 resemblance to existing forms, under seven genera, five of which are included 

 in the family Eunicea, one in the family Lycoridea, and one among the 

 Glycerea. In spite, however, of this apparent resemblance to Annelids, 

 great doubts were still expressed as to their true affinities. 



