1894- NOTES AND COMMENTS. 9 



The principles of geological correlation to which we drew attention 

 in our last number (vol.iii.,pp. 404-7), do not seem to find favour with 

 many prominent Fellows of the Geological Society. At the meeting 

 on December 6, one speaker considered that " unless there was a 

 physical change accompanying a faunal one, the latter was of 

 secondary importance. Palaeontology must be the servant and not 

 the master of Geology." Another well-known stratigrapher '' had no 

 faith in fixing a plane of demarcation between Purbeck and Wealden 

 Beds by means of Ostracoda." Are not these gentlemen somewhat 

 insular in their point of view ? They do not seem to distinguish 

 between local and world geology. Lithological differences and other 

 evidences of physical change are, of course, all-important for the local 

 geologist and for mapping, but when it is a question of separating the 

 Jurassic period from the Cretaceous, then some principle is demanded 

 that shall be of rather wider application than the bursting of a river 

 bar, or the closure of a lagoon in our own little corner of Europe. In 

 short, the rock scale is parochial, but the time scale universal. 



The Fortnightly Review for December contains the second part of 

 an article by Dr. A. R. Wallace on the " Ice Age and Its Work," 

 dealing with the erosion of lake basins. It is well worth reading as a 

 clear and concise statement of the arguments in favour of the power 

 of ice to cut the basins. One of the points raised seems to be quite 

 new. Dr. Wallace contrasts the well-known indented outlines of 

 submerged valleys, such as now form harbours in the south of 

 England, with the simple outlines of a lake in a glaciated region. In 

 the latter the tributaries fall directly into the lake, instead of flowing 

 into lateral arms formed by the partial submergence of the sur- 

 rounding country, as would be the case if the main lake originated 

 through subsidence. 



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We are glad to hear from letters from Mombasa that 

 Mr. G. F. Scott Elliott left that town for the interior early in 

 November. He has been delayed on the coast in the organisation 

 of his caravan, which numbers 73 porters. The abandonment of the 

 Ruwenzori and Toru Stations will add greatly to his difficulties ; but 

 he has left fully resolved to reach his goal of Ruwenzori. We are 

 also glad to hear that Lieutenant von Hohnel has safely arrived 

 at Mombasa. He was seriously injured by a wounded rhinoceros 

 some distance to the north of Kenia, and great anxiety was felt as to 

 whether he would survive the long journey to the coast. He returned 

 via Kibwezi, where from Dr. Charters his wounds received proper 

 medical attention. His companion, Mr. Astor Chanler, will continue 

 his journey to the north as soon as the men whom he sent back with 

 von Hohnel have returned to him. 



