256 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



teeth of two gigantic species of chincliillas wliich iiad been discov- 

 ered in the small West India island of Angnilla, which has an 

 area of but about thirty Siiuarc miles. The specimens were taken 

 from caves, and were thought to indicate postpliocene age. 

 AVith tiiem was discovered an implement of human manufacture, 

 — a chisel made from the lips of the shell strombusgigas. The 

 eontemporaueity of the fossils and human implements was sup- 

 posed, but not ascei-tained. Its interest and connection with 

 human migrations was mentioned; also the suj)p()sition of Pomel, 

 that the submergence of the West India Islands took place since 

 the postpliocene period. 



PAPERS READ BEFORE THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION AT EXETER. 



Report of the Committee on Tee as an Agent of Geological 

 Change. — This was a report by Mr. H. Bauerman, in which the 

 grooving power of ice was traced, as well as its poj^er to trans- 

 port blocks to a distance, where they accumulated as mordines. 

 He thought there was no proper means known of measuring the 

 erosive power of glaciers, and mentioned several plans which 

 might ultimately furnish that information, although he thought 

 it would require national scientific co-operation. 



Professor Phillips said, in reply to the latter idea, he thought a 

 difliculty would arise in interesting nations in such a subject as 

 cold. At the same time, unless something of the sort were 

 done, we should know little of the glacial period. Mr. Vivian 

 thought that the superficial action of ice had not been sufficiently 

 taken into consideration. Devon must have been under ice 

 during the glacial perioil, and he; should like to see some (!vid«Mi- 

 ces of it. Mr. Pengelly explained how certain beds had been 

 bent on themselves, giving the idea of their having been acted 

 upon b}' superficial action, along the line of least resistance. He 

 mentioned an instance where the beds were bent against the 

 centre of gravity. The liev. Osmond Fisher thought the latter 

 was in favor of ice action, instead of being opposed to it, Mr. 

 Godwin Austen thought the report fell short of what he had ex- 

 pected. With regard to Mr. Vivian's theory, it had been taken 

 into consideration bv the Swiss geologists. Both Agassiz and 

 Dr. Buekland thought that Devonshire had never been under ice, 

 and, although that idea was perhaps premature, he could not ad- 

 duce a single valley in the county whose origin could be ascribed 

 to ice action. Without doubt Devon was under the inlluence of 

 great cold, although not sullicicnt to support continual masses of 

 ice. In the Chaglord valley ice may once have moved. The 

 neighborhood of Bovey also may have received a good deal of its 

 superficial debris from ice. 



Mr. George Maw, F.G.S., next read a short paper on *' Insect 

 Remains and Siiells from the Lower Bagshot Leaf-Bed of Stud- 

 land Bay, Dorsetshire." The author mentioned several species 

 of insects he had met with in the above bed, as well as the shells, 

 which have not been found before, and which are of fresh-water 



