PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 9 



Rhynie in Aberdeenshire and Sweden, especially the former, 

 where the fossils are preserved in chert and their structure can 

 be well seen. Some of these plants are without leaves or roots 

 and spring from rhizomes, whereas others have leaves of a 

 simple type with cylindrical stems bearing sporangia. Their 

 nearest living allies (Psilotacece) seem to grow in much the 

 same way and have appendages about which it appears to be 

 still undecided whether they are to be classed as leaves or 

 branches. It is also only lately that much light has bee"n 

 thrown on the fossil insects of the coal measures, of which 

 about 40 or four-fifths of the whole number known to science, 

 have been discovered or identified in the last few years. 

 Impressions of moths' wings have been recently found in 

 numbers in the stalagmite in a cave at Cheddar, most probably 

 from wings dropped by bats, but I do not suppose that these 

 would be very ancient. The larger portion of a skeleton of the 

 giant marsupial Nototherium has been found in Tasmania. It is 

 believed to have had a horn on the nose, like a rhinoceros. 

 One of my Australian friends has sent me an elaborate 

 account, published by the Queensland Museum, of an extra- 

 ordinary animal (Euryzygoma dunense) of which a fine fossil 

 head was found on Darling Downs. This head is about 25 

 inches in length by 27 inches in width, with very large 

 processes at the sides, which are supposed to have formed 

 huge cheek pouches. Little seems known about the rest of 

 its body, but this immense marsupial mammal must have had 

 a very grotesque appearance. It seems to be allied to 

 Nototherium just mentioned. Remains of Ursus spelceus, the 

 cave bear, excavated from the caves of Equi, Italy, were 

 found to be much affected by tuberculosis, which it is 

 suggested may have conduced to its extinction. I am not 

 aware whether this disease has before been noticed in 

 fossil animals. What it is hoped may be a very valuable 

 and useful find has been made in N.W. Canada, where an 

 oilfield has been discovered which promises to be of great 

 extent and to afford a large yield, but knowing the 

 proverbial uncertainty of such things, we must not be too 



