46S Proceedings of Philosophical Societies. [June, 



to SE beside the course of the Coventry canal and the river 

 Anker ; and lastly, a district in Leicestershire, a few miles E 

 from Hinckley, consisting of a coarse grained crystalline green- 

 stone. •" >i<.'boj<itoui s 



The author then proceeds to show, how the straita b^lotigirr^ 

 to the older formations, which he has described, may be viewed 

 in connexion with the general physical structure of England, 

 and then points out from what various sources the beds of sand, 

 clay, and gravel of the red marl formation, as well as the super- 

 ficial debris which is strewed over the midland districts of 

 England, may have originated. Mr. Yates concludes with some 

 remarks on the excavation of valleys, and on some opinions on 

 that subject now generally received among English geologists, 

 from which he is inclined to differ. 



April 15. — A paper was read entitled " On a New Species of 

 Gyrogonite from the lower freshwater formation at Whitechff 

 bay, in the Isle of Wight, with some account of the strata in 

 which it occurs." By Charles Lyell, Esq. Sec. GS. ' ■ 



Mr. Lyell describes this species of gyrogonite as very distinct 

 from the three species which have been found in France. The 

 spiral valves form nine rings, each of which are ornamented 

 with a row of tubercles, from which he has given it the name 

 of chara tuberculata. An account is given of the strata of the 

 lower freshwater formation at Whitecliff bay in the Isle of 

 Wight, in which this gyrogonite occurs very abundantly. 

 They consist of beds of very compact limestone, alternating 

 with whitish calcareous marls, and in most of them the casts 

 or shells of various freshwater univalves are common. 



Gyrogonites appear not to have been noticed before in the 

 freshwater strata on the east side of the Isle of Wight. Those 

 which have been noticed as abounding in the limestone of the 

 lower freshwater strata at Garnet Bay are chiefly referable to the 

 chara medicaginula of the French authors. In that locality, fossil 

 stems accompany them whose structure is identical with that 

 of some recent charse, as for example C. Hispida. 



The author concludes by observing, that from the remark- 

 able toughness of the integument of their seedvessel, and from 

 the large proportion of carbonate of lime which they contain 

 in a living state, most of the charge are peculiarly adapted for 

 becoming fossil, and that they are accordingly preserved in 

 the recent marls in Scotland, both in a vegetable and a mine- 

 ralized state, when the other aquatic plants which lived and died 

 in the lakes with them are entirely decomposed, or can no 

 longer be recognized. .u.nviitvv\ '^\^ x!,m\ws\ 



An extract of a letter was read from Jer. Van Rens'Selaier, 

 Esq. on the Discovery of the Skeleton of a Mastodpri 'At New 

 York; and of the Tertiary Formation in New Jersey.'' Y'' ""^^ 



In this letter Mr. Rensselaer mentions, that in a late expe- 



