72 CORRESPONDING SOCIETIES MEETING AT DOVER. 



that Mr. Stebbing's paper would be printed in full, and the 

 meeting came to an end. 



It occurs to me here to remark that it is highly desirable 

 that an account of the finding of a Well-shrimp, or other wholly 

 subterranean creature, should give not only the depth of the 

 well, but also the nature of the rocks through which it is sunk. 

 Of course, in the case of a well sunk in sand or gravel, no 

 subterranean animal could be expected, unless it were so minute 

 that not only the ova but the adult animal could pass through 

 the mass as the percolating water does. But it would be 

 interesting to be able to note the proportion of subterranean 

 creatures, if any, in sandstones as compared with limestones. 

 In both kinds of rock water circulates mainly along lines of 

 jointing or lines of fault, but in lini3stones the dissolution of the 

 rock here a-nd there, by the action of the water percolating 

 through it, gives rise to hollows and caverns varying in size 

 from spaces only large enough to accommodate a few Well-shrimps 

 to the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky. In sandstones, on the 

 other hand, hollows arising from the dissolution of the rock do 

 not occur, but it seems possible that here and there in a sand- 

 stone, along lines of jointing or of fault, the erosive action of 

 water carrying particles of sand in suspension might at length 

 give rise to spaces capable, as regards size, of being the residence 

 of Well-shtimps, though nothing comparable to limestone caverns 

 would be produced. Therefore, while subterranean animals may 

 naturally be expected to exist mainly, if not whoUv, in lime- 

 stones, it seems quite within the limits of possibility that certain 

 forms of life, probably differing from those common in lime- 

 stone, may some day be found in sandstone wells. Wells, how- 

 ever, in Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk are almost certain to be 

 either in that well-known limestone, the Chalk, or in superficial 

 sand and gravel. 



At the Second Meeting of the Conference on September 

 igth, the proceedings began with a long and desultory debate as 

 to the best ways of making the meetings of the Conference more 

 useful. While it was proceeding Rev. T. R. R. Stebbing had 

 to leave, and Professor W. W. Watts became Chairman. At 

 length it was decided that it would be best for individual 

 delegates to write to the Corresponding Societies' Committee, 

 suggesting improvements, not later than the end of the first 

 week in November. Letters received by that date would then 

 be Considered by the Committee, when they met later in that 



