20 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



GEOLOGY. 



Remarkable Eossil Orthopterous Insect 

 prom the Coal-measures of Britain. — This 

 was the subject of a paper read at the London 

 Geological Society, by Henry Woodward, E.R.S., 

 E.G.S. The author commenced by indicating the 

 importance of the examination of the clay-ironstone 

 nodules of the coal-measures, in which so many 

 valuable fossils have been discovered, including the 

 remarkable insect described in the present paper. 

 The specimen displays the characters of the four 

 wings, only two of which, however, are nearly 

 perfect, and these measure 2| in. length, and 1 in. 

 and li in. in breadth, the hind wing being the 

 broadest. The author described in detail the 

 characters presented by the venation of the wings, 

 which includes three straight veins running parallel 

 to the fore margin, the third bifurcating near the 

 apex, a fourth much curved vein giving origin to 

 six branches, and having at its base a triangular 

 space, from which arise the other veins of the wing. 

 The body appears to have been about five lines 

 broad between the bases of the wings. In front of 

 the wings is the prothorax in the form of two large, 

 rounded, dilated, and veined lobes ; it measures 

 fourteen lines across and six lines in length. In 

 front of these lobes is the head, with its eyes pro- 

 duced in front into a slender process three lines 

 long. This insect is considered by the author to be 

 most nearly related to the Mantida?, the characters 

 of the head and thorax especially being to some 

 extent paralleled in the existing genus Blepharis. 

 The author proposed to name the species Litho- 

 mantis carbonarius, and suggested that Gryllacris 

 {Corydalis) Brongniarti probably belongs to the 

 same genus. 



The Discovery of a Fossil Scorpion in the 

 English Coal-measures. — This was another 

 paper read at the same meeting by Mr. Woodward. 

 The author commenced by noticing the various 

 European and American localities in which fossil 

 Arachnida have been found in the coal-measures. 

 Hitherto, no true scorpions have been recorded 

 from the English coal-measures ; but in 187-4 the 

 author received from Dr. D. R. Rankin a specimen 

 from the coal-measures near Carluke, which lie 

 regarded as the fossil abdominal segment of a 

 scorpion ; in April last he obtained a fossil scorpion 

 from the Sandwell Park Colliery ; and in August 

 Mr. E. Wilson forwarded to him several specimens 

 of similar nature in clay-ironstone nodules from 

 Skegby New Colliery, near Mansfield. The speci- 

 mens are all very imperfect ; but the author states 

 that they most closely resemble an Indian form, 

 which is probably Scorpio ofer. He refers the 

 English species provisionally to the genus Euscor- 

 pius, Meek and Worthen, and proposes to name it 

 E. anglicus. 



The Porest-bed Series at Kessingland and 

 Pakefield in Suffolk. — This was the subject of a 

 paper read at a recent meeting of the Geological 

 Society, by John Gunn, Esq., M.A., P.G.S. The 

 author described a section from the cliff at Kessing- 

 land and Pakefield, from the examination of which 

 he arrived at the conclusion that the Eorest-bed 

 series underlies the Chillesford clay and sands. At 

 the foot of the cliff there is an estuarine deposit 

 forming the soil of the forest-bed, consisting of blue 

 clay and gravel, the "Elephant-bed" of the author's 

 former paper. Above this is the forest-bed, con- 

 taining large stools and stems of trees, but no fossil 

 bones. This is followed by a freshwater deposit, cou- 

 sistingof black soil with freshwater shells correspond- 

 ing to a similar bed at Muudesley and Runton, 

 known as the " Unio bed," and including the " Root- 

 let bed " of oozy clay, regarded by Mr. Prestwich 

 as an indication of the forest. The author considers 

 the supposed rootlets to represent brushwood, which 

 succeeded the true forest. Above this come fluvio- 

 niarine deposits, in which crag shells occur, although 

 but rarely. To this division the author was inclined 

 to refer the Norwich Crag, which at Bramerton 

 underlies the next division, regarded by the author 

 as the Chillesford clays and sands. Of the over- 

 lying deposits the first is supposed to be the 

 "Pebbly bed " by the author; it has been regarded 

 as middle drift, and the uppermost is upper boulder- 

 clay. The paper was illustrated by the exhibition 

 of a fine series of bones, chiefly cervine, from the 

 lowest deposit noticed by the author. 



Metropolitan Scientific Association.— On 

 Saturday, November C, about fifty members of this 

 society paid a visit to the Surrey Commercial Docks 

 for the purpose of viewing the geological features of 

 interest disclosed during the excavations now being 

 carried on there. The Rev. E. JosselynBeck, M.A. 

 conducted the party over the ground, and his lucid 

 explanations and general courtesy added greatly to 

 the pleasures of the visit. The cutting is about 

 40 feet deep, and about halfway down is a very 

 excellent section of an ancient forest-bed, several 

 trees remaining in situ. Below this is a band of 

 silty clay, and this has been found especially rich in 

 mammalian remains; and still further down are the 

 lower level gravels. One of the most important re- 

 suits of the visit was the discovery of what, on further 

 examination, will doubtless prove to be a line of fault 

 hitherto unsuspected. To Professor Morris, who 

 accompanied the excursion, the members were 

 greatly indebted for an admirably lucid outline of 

 the tertiary deposits, as illustrated by the section 

 around them. Mr. Beck had very kindly caused to 

 be placed in an adjacent room the remarkable col- 

 lection of fossils discovered in these excavations; 

 after viewing which the company passed a vote of 

 thanks to the rev. gentleman for his kindness. 



