518 Geological Society. 



femilies of the Ganoidian order of M. Agassiz *. Some of the scales 

 correspond precisely with those of the Megalichthys, described by 

 Dr. Hibbert, from Burdiehouse near Edinburgh ■ but the plants asso- 

 ciated with the ichthyolites, the author states on the authority of Pro- 

 fessor Lindley, are entirely dissimilar from those found at Burdie- 

 house. Further particulars are given in the «* Proceedings". 



A paper was next read, " On the Bones of Birds from the Strata 

 of Tilgate Forest in Sussex j" by Gideon Man tell, Esq., F.G.S. 



Mr. Mantell states that soon after his attention was first directed 

 to the fossils of the Wealden, he discovered in the strata of Tilgate 

 Forest several slender bones, which, from their close resemblance to 

 the tarso-metatarsal bones of certain Grallae or Waders, he was induced 

 to refer to birds. The correctness of this opinion was afterwards 

 doubted, in consequence of the thin fragile bones found at Stones- 

 field, and considered as belonging to birds, being ascertained to be 

 those of Pterodactyles. Having subsequently discovered a few spe- 

 cimens of more decided character, Mr. Mantell submitted them to 

 the inspection of Baron Cuvier, during his last visit to England, who 

 pronounced them to belong to a Wader, probably to a species of 

 Ardea. Still it was doubted whether these remains did really be- 

 long to those of birds j but the author's attention having recently 

 been directed to the subject, he placed his specimens in the hands of 

 Mr. Owen, of the College of Surgeons. This gentleman, after a care- 

 ful examination, pointed out that one bone decidedly belonged to a 

 Wader, being undoubtedly the distal extremity of a left tarso-meta- 

 tarsal bone, presenting the articular surface or place of attachment 

 of the posterior or opposable toe. Other specimens of long bones 

 Mr. Owen conceives may have belonged to a more erpetoid form of 

 bird than is now known. From this examination, Mr. MantelPs pre- 

 vious views of the existence of birds below the chalk have been fully 

 established, and, as the author observes, these are the oldest remains 

 of the class at present known. The memoir concludes with a descrip- 

 tion of the bones, consisting of a tarso-metatarsal of a Wader, a 

 tibia (?), a metatarsal bone, a humerus, and an ulna. 



The next paper read was entitled, " Remarks on the Coffin-bone 

 (distal phalangeal) of a Horse, from the Shingle Bed of the Newer 

 Pliocene Strata of the Cliffs near Brighton 3" by Gideon Mantell, 

 Esq., F.G.S., &c, a notice of whica is given in the " Proceedings". 



An extract was lastly read, of a letter from Dr. Daubeny, in which 

 he gives the analysis of the mineral spring lately discovered near Ox- 

 ford, and announced to the Society by Dr. Buckland, at the Meeting 

 held on the 29th of April, stating that the water at the time the ana- 

 lysis was made (March 26th) contained more sulphuric salts than 

 any other spring in this country; a pint containing 132*87 grains of 

 solid contents, entirely saline, of which 52*40 are sulphate of soda. 



This being the last Meeting of the Session, the Society adjourned, 

 at its close, to Wednesday, November 4th. 



* [A sketch of the classification of fishes, established by M. Agassiz, will 

 be found in the Lond. and Edinb. Phil. Mag., vol. v. p. 459.— Edit.] 



