Geological Society. 297 



hyenas, but numerous bones of bears marked with short scratches, 

 the effects, he conceives, of their having been the playthings of 

 young bears; an idea first suggested to him by observing the 

 amusement a ball of wood affords a bear in confinement. 



Of the genus Ursus, Sir Philip Egerton states that he had found 

 among the remains procured in the Gailenruth cave, two bones 

 of the carpus, one of the metacarpus, one of the metatarsus, and 

 part of the sternum; all required to complete Cuvier's account of 

 the osteology of the animal; that in the collection from the same 

 cave, he had found the large incisor of the right side of nearly 

 ninety bears, and of all ages, from the cutting-tooth to the worn- 

 down stump ; that he had not a single humerus out of the many 

 procured from various localities, with the perforation at the condyle 

 for the cubital artery ; and that out of 36 specimens in his collec- 

 tion, besides a greater number in Viscount Cole's, he had not no- 

 ticed one containing the least trace of the small anterior false 

 molar. 



Sir Philip Egerton then gives a detailed list of every bone pro- 

 cured by himself and Lord Cole. This list it is impossible to give 

 in an abstract j but it may be stated that the bones obtained from 

 the cave of Gailenruth belong to Felis Canis, Canis Vulpes, Hyaena 

 and Gulo j those from Kiihloch to Hyaena, Canis Vulpes and Rhino- 

 ceros ; those from Scharzfeld to Felis and Canis ; and those from 

 Baumanns Hohle to Felis. 



A letter was also read from Hugh E. Strickland, Esq. to G. B. 

 Greenough, Esq., P.G.S., " On the Occurrence of Freshwater 

 Shells, of existing Species, beneath the Gravel near Cropthorne, in 

 Worcestershire." 



In a former letter, dated September 28th, 1833, Mr. Strickland 

 stated that he had found in a gravel-pit near Cropthorne, fresh- 

 water shells of existing species, but that the circumstances under 

 which he had noticed them induced him to hesitate in assigning 

 them to the age of the gravel. The surveyor of the roads having, 

 however, at the request of the Worcestershire Natural History So- 

 ciety, opened a new pit, Mr. Strickland is enabled in this letter to 

 state, that the same species of shells had been found under hori- 

 zontal beds of gravel and sand, which presented no sign of having 

 been disturbed since their deposition. He also states that the re- 

 mains of the hippopotamus, deer, and he believes ox, had been 

 found in considerable abundance in the same pit. 



A notice " On the Action of High Pressure Steam on Glass and 

 other Siliceous Compounds," by Prof. Turner, M.D., Sec. G.S., 

 was then read. 



An opportunity having presented itself to the author, of includ- 

 ing substances in a high pressure steam-boiler, he took advan- 

 tage of it to try the effect which would be produced on glass; 

 and he accordingly encased in wire gauze some specimens of plate- 

 and window-glass, and suspended them from the top of the boiler, 

 so that they were surrounded by steam whenever the boiler was in 

 action. They were kept in this situation for four months, during 



Third Series. Vol. 5. No. 28. Oct. 1834. 2 Q 



