President's Address. 13 



hagow as being witliout the scope of the present remarks, we 

 can only notice the three sliells found at the same time by 

 Mr Slimon. These were " a rare Orthoceras " in calcareous 

 nodular concretions on Nutbery Hill, a curious little Lrachio- 

 pod, at that time identified with Linrjula cornea (Sby.) and 

 a Univalve, Troclms helicites (Sby.).* 



Until 1858 these organisms constituted the entire fauna 

 known from these interesting rocks. But at the meeting of 

 the British Association in that year, at Leeds, the late Dr 

 Page announced f the discovery of five other fossils, all 

 Bivalves, referable to the genera Modiolopsis, Nucida, Pterinea, 

 and Avicida. 



Contemporaneously with the researches of Mr Slimon at 

 Lesmahagow, others, equally important in their results, were 

 in progress in the far North of Scotland. A former President 

 of this Society, the now venerable and much respected 

 Charles William Peach, had, whilst residing at Wick, and 

 during excursions to the north-west part of Sutherlandshire, 

 discovered fossils in the crystalline limestone of Durness. 

 According to the view^s entertained by Murchison this lime- 

 stone and associated quartz rocks w^ere of Lower Silurian age, :|: 

 and anterior to Peach's discovery, he tells us Professor Xicol 

 and himself had found an Ortlwceratite, " but too imperfect 

 to be referred to any known species." § 



The object of Mr Peach's first visit to the storm-bound 

 coast of Sutherlandshire appears to have been to inspect a 

 wreck, and to this unfortunate occurrence we are indebted 

 for the important discoveries which followed. || The first 

 shell found was a Maclurea, the same fossil we have seen 

 playing an important part in Girvan conchology. To this 

 were subsequently added many others, all tending to prove, 

 on critical examination by our old friend Salter, the cor- 

 rectness of Murchison's views. Further than this, Salter's 

 determinations conclusively showed the near relation borne 



"* ' ' On tlie discovery by ]\Ir R. Slimon of fossils in the uppermost Silurian 

 Eocks near Lesmaliagow," etc. (Quart. Jour. Geol. Soc, 1856, xii., pp. 18, 

 24) ; Siluria, 4tli edit, p. 160. 



+ Brit. Assoc. Report for 1858 (pub. 1859), p. 104. 



X Ibid., 1855, pt. 2, p. 85. 



§ Siluria, 4th edit., 1867, p. 164 ; ()uart. -Tour. Geol. Soc, xv., p. 355. 



II lUd. 



