216 Geological Society. 



extent and variety of the subjects embraced in this memoir do not 

 admit of a short notice. 



Jan. 17. — The following papers were read: — 



1. "On Fossil Crustaceans from Atherfield, in the Isle of Wight." 

 By Prof. Bell. 



The fossils described in this paper were preserved in the lower 

 greensand, and belong to the family of Astacida, probably to the 

 genus Astacus. They are distinct from any known recent or fossil 

 species. 



2. " On the occurrence of Phosphorite in Estremadura." By 

 Prof. Daubeny and Capt. Widdrington. 



The phosphorite rock, the extent of which had been greatly ex- 

 aggerated by Spanish writers, is situated at a short distance from 

 Logrosan, a village of Estremadura. It lies in an extensive clay 

 slate formation, and is interstratified with the slate, appearing on 

 the surface for about two miles, presenting a breadth of usually 

 about twenty feet, and a thickness as far as could be ascertained of 

 ten. Its presence does not appear to communicate fertility to the 

 soil. It is composed of phosphate of lime, associated with fluoride 

 of calcium, oxide of iron and silica. The authors examined it with 

 a view to its employment as a manure ; but great difliculties exist 

 with respect to its transportation. 



3. " On the Cretacean Strata of New Jersey, and other parts of 

 the United States." By Mr. Lyell. 



The author proves, from a careful examination of their fossils, 

 that the ferruginous and greensand formation of New Jersey corre- 

 sponds to the uppermost part of the cretaceous system in Europe, 

 Four or five, out of sixty fossil shells, are identical with European 

 species, giving an agreement of 7 per cent., whilst a great number 

 of the remainder are nearly allied to and represent species from the 

 middle and upper part of the European cretaceous beds. Teeth of 

 sharks, some of them allied to known cretaceous forms, and vertebrae 

 of Mososaurus and Plesiosaurus accompany them. The upper fos- 

 siliferous division of the New Jersey cretacean deposit, observed by 

 Mr. Lyell at Timber Creek, near Philadelphia, judging from the evi- 

 dence aflforded by certain of its fossils, of which, however, the great 

 part, especially of the corals, are new, must be regarded as equiva- 

 lent to the uppermost (Maestricht) part of the cretaceous system. 

 Among the Echinodermata and Foraminifera are several characteristic 

 cretacean forms. 



Jan. 31. — The following papers were read : — 



1. "A Vertical Section of the Strata between the Chalk and the 

 Wealden on the South-east Coast of the Isle of Wight." By Mr. 

 Simms. 



The thickness of the upper greensand given in this section is 1 04 

 feet, that of the gault 146 feet, apd that of the lower greensand 754 

 feet 3 inches ; giving a total thickness of the beds beneath the chalk 

 of 1004 feet 3 inches. 



2. " A Report on the British Lower Greensand Fossils in the So- 

 ciety's Collection." By the Curator, Prof. E. Forbes. 



There are 131 species of MoUusca, and between 30 and 40 Ra- 



