51 



Comparative anatomy and embryology owe much to the study of 

 fossils, especially a greatly enlarged knowledge of the vertebrate skull, 

 the limb arches and the limbs, together with the law of brain growth, 

 found to exist among extinct mammals and other vertebrates, which 

 law Marsh, its discoverer, states as follows : — " All tertiary mammals 

 have small brains. There was also a gradual increase in the size of the 

 brain during this period. The increase was confined mainly to the 

 cerebral hemispheres, or higher portions of the brain. In some groups 

 the convolutions of the brain have gradually become more complicated. 

 In some the cerebellum and olfactory lobes have even diminished in 

 size." Since this General statement further research has shown " that 

 the same general law of brain growth holds good for the birds and 

 reptiles from the Secondary epoch to the present time," and the facts so 

 far gathered indicate that as a general law this will hold good for all 

 extinct vertebrates. 



To Archaeology also, Palaeontology has rendered great service in 

 extending our knowledge of the antiquity of the human race. Evidences 

 which after having long accumulated to be rejected merely because 

 not in accord with accepted theories, have been during this century 

 re-examined and added to, until now they are strong enough to make 

 the conclusion inevitable that the occurrence of the remains of man in 

 the Pliocene now fairly establishes the fact of the existence of man in 

 that period. 



:o: 



REPORT OF THE CONCHOLOGICAL BRANCH. 



(Read March 13, 1890.) 



The leaders of the Conchological Branch have to report that they 

 have pei sonally been able to do little work in the field during the past 

 season, and they are not aware that any other members of the club 

 resident in Ottawa have taken up the study. This is greatly to be 

 regretted for, as will be seen from the present report, much remains to 

 be done before the list of Ottawa mollusca can be considered complete. 



A very prolific locality (the wood between St. Louis dam and the 

 Experimental Farm) was visited by the writers on one or two occa_ 

 sions, and in moss collected there many interesting though minute land 



