Royal Society. 363 



the rising of the land ; two conditions which could not be fulfilled in 

 any lake. From the attentive consideration bestowed by the au- 

 thor on these several and independent steps of the argument, he re- 

 gards the truth of the theory of the marine origin of the parallel roads 

 of Lochaber (a theory, of which the foundation stone may be said to 

 have been laid by the important geological researches of Mr. Lyell, 

 establishing the fact of continents having slowly emerged from be- 

 neath the sea) as being sufficiently demonstrated. 



The author states, in the concluding part of his paper, the follow- 

 ing as being the chief points which receive illustration from the 

 examination of the district of Lochaber by Sir Thomas Lauder Dick, 

 Dr. Macculloch, and himself. It appears that nearly the whole of 

 the water- worn materials in the valleys of this part of Scotland were 

 left, as they now exist, by the slowly retiring waters of the sea ; 

 and the principal action of the rivers since that period has been to 

 remove such deposits ; and when this had been effected, to excavate 

 a waU-sided gorge in the solid rock. Throughout this entire district, 

 every main, and most of the lesser inequaUties of surface are due, 

 primarily to the elevating forces, and, secondarily, to the modehng 

 l^ower of successive beach-lines. The ordinary alluvial action has 

 been exceedingly insignificant ; and even moderately sized streams 

 have worn much less deeply into the solid rock than might have 

 been anticipated, during the vast period which must have elapsed 

 since the sea was on a level with the upper shelves : even the steep 

 slopes of turf over large spaces, and the bare surface of certain rocks, 

 having been perfectly preserved during the same lapse of time. The 

 elevation of this part of Scotland to the amount of at least 1278 feet 

 was extremely gradual, and was interrupted by long intervals of 

 rest. It took place either during the so called " erratic block pe- 

 riod," or afterwards ; and it is probable that the erratic blocks were 

 transported during the quiet formation of the shelves. One of these 

 was found at an altitude of 2200 feet above the present level of the 

 sea. The most extraordinary fact is, that a large tract of country 

 was elevated to a great height, so equably, that the ancient beach- 

 lines retain the same curvature, or nearly so, which they had when 

 forming the margin of the convex surface of the ancient waters. 

 The inferences drawn by the author from these facts, and which he 

 corroborates by other evidence, are that a large area must have been 

 uphfted, and that its rise was effected by a slight change in the 

 convex form of the fluid matter on wliich the crust of the earth rests ; 

 and therefore that the fluidity of the former is sufficiently perfect to 

 allow of the atoms moving in obedience to the law of gravitation, 

 and conseciuently, of the operation of that law modified by the cen- 

 trifugal force : and lastly, that even the disturbing forces do not 

 tend to give to the earth a figure widely different from that of a 

 spheroid in equilibrium. 



March 7. — A paper was read, entitled, " On the Male Organs of 

 some of the Cartilaginous Fishes." By John Davy, M,D., F.Il.S., 

 Assistant Inspector of Army Hospitals. 



In this paper, which is wholly occupied with anatomical details, 



