British Association. 383 



nexion between the hot springs of the Pyrenees and the geology of 

 the district. lie had found that the granite of that country had 

 acted upon the other rocks, in such a manner as to shew extreme 

 cases of disturbance, and that round the lines that marked the con- 

 nexion of these rocks with granite, these springs were uniformly 

 found — mineral springs also abounded in the same situations. He 

 stated, that he had examined the temperature of a spring, whose 

 heat had been taken 100 years ago, and had found it exactly the 

 same. 



Section D. — zoology and botany. 



President^ Professor Henslow. — Vice Presidents, Rev. F. W. 

 Hope, Dr. I. Richardson, Professor Royle. — Secretaries, John 

 Curtis, Esq., Professor Don, Dr. Riley, S. Rootsey, Esq. — Com-, 

 mittee, C. Babington, Esq., Mr. R. M. Ball, J. E. Bowman, Esq., 

 Rev. Mr. EUacombe, — Eyton, Esq., Hon. Charles Harris, Mr. 

 Hewitson, Dr. Jacob, Mr. G. J. Jeffrys, Rev. Mr. Jenyns, I. L. 

 Knapp, Esq., T. Mackay, Esq., Professor Nilsson, Rev. Mr. 

 Phelps, Professor Scouler, Colonel Sykes, Richard Taylor, Esq., 

 Professor Wilson, William Yarrell, Esq. 



Monday, 22nd August. — 1. North American Zoology. — Dr. 

 Richardson read the introductory portion of his report on North 

 American Zoology, comprising remarks on the physical geography 

 and climate of the country. He noticed three distinct mountain 

 chains, the principal one extending under the name of the Rocky 

 Mountains, from the elevated plains of Mexico to the Arctic sea, 

 rising within limits of perpetual snow, and affording on its declivities 

 inclined zones of equal temperature, running nearly north and south. 

 He next mentioned the comparatively low range of the Alleghanies 

 running near the Atlantic coast, and the more broken Maritime 

 Alps of California and New Caledonia, from which several lofty 

 peaks arise. It was remarked that in these Maritime Alps in three 

 ranges recent or active volcanoes exist, which it was suggested might 

 be one of the causes of the higher temperature of that coast. The 

 great valley lying eastward of the Rocky Mountains, and extending 

 from the Gulph of Mexico to the Arctic sea, and watered by the 

 Mississipi, Missouri, Saskatchawan, and the Mackenzie, was also 

 noticed as exerting a manifest influence on the migrations of herbi- 

 ferous quadrupeds, some tribes of birds, and fish. In the remarks 

 on climate, the various ways in which the configuration of the land 

 may contribute to influence the temperature of the atmosphere, 

 were glanced at. 



The Arania or Mygale Avicularia. — Mr. Rootsey exhibited a 

 living specimen of this animal, which is of the spider tribe, and 

 made some observations on the subject. It was not uncommon to 

 meet with them in collections, and he had been informed by Mr. 

 C. Babington, that one of them had been found in the London 

 Docks. The animal in question was brought in a cargo of logwood, 

 from the bay of Campeachy, but it was not known how it had sub- 

 sisted, for, though pieces of meat had been near it, it had not eaten 

 it; but it was supposed to have sucked the meat. The speaker 



