432 Geohyical Society. 



Mallery, who requested an Indican to make the sign for a steamhoat 

 • — an object seen for the first time a few days before. " After 

 thinking a moment he gave an original sign, described as follows : — 

 Make the sign for water by placing the flat right hand before the 

 face, pointing upward and forward, the back forward, with the wrist 

 as liigh as the nose ; then draw it down and inward toward the 

 chill ; then with both hands indicate the outlines of a horizontal 

 oval figure from before the body back to near the chest (beiug the 

 outline of the deck) ; then place both flat hands, pointing forward, 

 t'.iurabs higher than the outer edges, and push them forward to 

 arm's length (illustrating the powerful forward motion of the 

 vessel)." 



The indications given by a notice of these two papers will show 

 that an important addition has been made to the number of scien- 

 tific journals. Into the purely philological papers it would be im- 

 proper for us to enter here. 



PllOCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 



GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



June 25, 1884.— Prof. T. G. Bonney, D.Sc, F.R.S., 

 President, in the Chair. 



The following communications were read : — 



1. " On some Fossil Calcisponges from the Well-boring at llich- 

 mond, Surrey." By Dr. G. J. Hinde, F.G.S. 



Numerous specimens of diminutive sponges were met with in a 

 band of calcareous shale in the Richmond well-boring, at a depth 

 of 1205 feet beneath the surface. They proved to be all Calci- 

 sponges belonging to Zittels family of Pharetrones. Five species, 

 all new, were described, and referred to the genera Inubolia, Perunella, 

 Blasthiia, and Ocuhspongia. The spicular structure of the fibres 

 can be seen in microscopic sections of the difi'erent species, and in 

 some examples even the spicules of the dermal layer are preserved. 

 From the general facies of the specimens, and the fact that one 

 species is closely allied to Blastinia costata, Goldf., from Lower 

 Jurassic strata at Streitberg, the author thought it probable that the 

 stratum in which the sponges occur is of Lower Jurassic age. 



2. " On the Foraminifera and Ostracoda from the deep Boring 

 at Richmond." By Prof. T. Rupert Jones, F.R.S., F.G.S. 



From some strata at three special depths (§ i. 11-15' 9" to 

 114G' 6" ; § ii. 1151' to 1151' 6" ; and § iii. 1205') in the deep 

 boring at Richmond, several Foraminifera and Ostracoda have 

 been obtained by Prof. Judd, but they do not present any very 

 special characteristics recognizable as belonging to particular hori- 

 zons. The Foraminifera comprise several common forms or 

 varieties of Cristellaria, 0. rotulata occurring at each of the depths 



