514? Geological Society: Mr. Lyell on the Fossil 



he has not found any of the larger kinds, almost every specimen re- 

 quiring a high magnifying power to be seen distinctly. Next to the 

 Coleoptera, the most prevalent orders are the Homoptera and Tri- 

 chopteraj and Mr. Brodie observes, that this fact accords with the 

 habits of the two latter orders, the first living on plants, remains 

 of which are found abundantly in the Wealden, and the second 

 hovering over the surface of streams. From the fragmentary state 

 of these remains, and from the wings never being expanded in the 

 more nearly perfect specimens, he considers it probable, that they 

 were carried for some distance down the streams which flowed into 

 the Wealden estuaries. A few of the insects which have been exa- 

 mined by an eminent entomologist, have been pronounced to possess, 

 with one exception, a decidedly European character, to differ from 

 those at Aix, and to be less tropical than those found at Stonesfield. 



Since the reading of his prior communication, Mr. Brodie has ob- 

 tained Isopods an inch and a half in length and an inch broad. These 

 crustaceans, so interesting from the analogy to Trilobites, presented 

 by allied genera, are rarely found in single specimens, but in groups, 

 and therefore present this additional agreement with the habits of re- 

 cent species. The fossils appear to have been deposited tranquilly 

 at the bottom of the water which they inhabited, being always found 

 imbedded with their legs downwards, and they are generally well-pre- 

 served. The whole of the freshwater remains of these Wealden beds, 

 including the testacea, afford the natural characters of such deposits 

 bv yielding abundance of specimens, but few genera. 



Associated with the above-mentioned organic remains of the Vale 

 of Wardour, Mr. Brodie has obtained three species of small fishes 

 quite distinct, he says, from those found at Lady Down and Chicks- 

 grove. With a single exception they were all procured at one spot. 



None of the localities mentioned in the paper afforded the least 

 trace of the " dirt-bed," or of Cycadeoidea. 



4. " On the Geology of Egypt." By Lieut. Newbold of the Ma- 

 dras Army, F.R.S. [An abstract of this paper will be found in our 

 preceding volume, p. 215.] 



5. A letter, addressed to the Secretaries by C. Kaye, Esq., " On a 

 Collection of Fossils discovered by the writer in Rocks in Southern 

 India." 



The localities from which Mr. Kaye procured his suites of speci- 

 mens are Pondicherry, Trichinopoly, and Verdachellum. 



Pondicherry. — From a limestone in the neighbourhood of this city, 

 Mr. Kaye obtained Nautili in great abundance, belonging to at least 

 three species ; Ammonites in even greater numbers and well-pre- 

 served, and although assignable to thirteen distinct species, the au- 

 thor has not been able to identify a single specimen with any Euro- 

 pean Ammonites of which he has seen a description. Baculites like- 

 wise occur in such quantities as often to constitute the entire mass 

 of large blocks ; and Hamites in a great variety of forms, besides 

 numerous genera of conchifera and mollusca ; likewise Echinidse, 

 Polyparia, fishes' teeth, and considerable masses of calcareous wood 

 bored by Teredines. 



