GEOLOGY. 257 



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oi'igin. The plant remains most notable were those of the genus 

 Porano, still living in sub-tropical latitudes. 



The Rev, Mr. Brodie, who is an authority on the subject of fos- 

 'sil insects, made a few remarks on the various insects mentioned 

 by Mr. Maw, and expressed his belief that if the beds were better 

 worked they would yield more species. Mr. Etheridge, of the 

 Geological Surve}^ said Mr. Maw's discovery was very impor- 

 tant, as fresh-water, or indeed shells of any sort, had never been 

 met with before in this bed. Mr. Godwin Austen made a few 

 remarks describing the general character of the strata, stating 

 much of them was deposited in a large lake, during the nummu- 

 litic period. Mr. Pengelly congratuhited Mr. Maw in finding 

 M'hat he wanted. With reference to the Bovey Tracey lignite 

 series, they lay on a green santl bottom. Fifty species of fossil 

 plants had been found in the lignites, and they were of the same 

 forms as those occurring in the miocene lignites on the continent, 

 and occupying the same horizon. The fossil plants of Bovey 

 Tracey had been found in the Hempstead beds of the Isle of 

 Wight. The Rev. O. Fisher mentioned that some years ago, at 

 Furzey Brook pits, he had found an oyster in the leaf-beds of Mr. 

 Maw. It had all the appearance of being an estuarine shell. He 

 thought the strata were estuarine rather than of a lake character. 

 Mr. Maw, in repl}*, said that, although there was a variation, in 

 the fauna of the eocene and miocene, there was not any in their 

 flora. Mr. Godwin Austen expressed his opinion that the Bovey 

 Tracey beds were upper eocene, and not miocene. 



The president (Prof. Harkness) said Mr. Thomson had obtained 

 some of the finest labrynthodont remains ever found in Great 

 Britain. Sir Philip Egerton corroborated this, and said, from an 

 examination of the sections, he had no doubt Dr. Young was 

 right in separating the remains into a new genus, that of Ptero- 

 plax. He was happy also to coincide with Mr. Thomson as re- 

 gards the character of the fossil fishes. Mr. Brodie referred to 

 tiie number of these reptilian remains which the coal measures 

 had recently given. Mr. Miall mentioned that the structure of 

 the teeth in the reptiles might alter according to the age of the 

 animals. Mr. Thomson replied that the differences in the speci- 

 mens he produced could not be brought under such an explana- 

 tion. 



On the Discover!/ of Fossil Plants in the Cambrian Rocks near St. 

 Damd'^s. — This was a communication by Dr. Hicks. The strata 

 in which the fossil plants had been found were the Upper Long- 

 mynds. Their ripple-marked character showed they had been 

 deposited in shallow water. Last 3'ear^ Prof. Torrell reported his 

 having found land plants in the Cambrian strata; and this encour- 

 aged Dr. Hicks to seek for them. He had been successful ; and 

 Prof. Harkness said that there was a diflerence in the nature of 

 the supposed plant remains. He mentioned the various theories 

 afloat as to the nature of these plants, and said they* might be 

 fucoidal. Some of Dr. Hicks' specimens were, he thought, the 

 tracks of marine worms. Dr. Hicks had sent fossils which were 

 fouml 1,500 feet below the horizon where they have hitherto been 



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