March 7, 1878] 



NATURE 



375 



cations were read : — On some foraminifera from pleistocene beds 

 in Ischia, by M. Ernest Vanden Broeck. Preceded by some 

 geological remarks by A. W. Waters, F.G.S.— On the innuence 

 of tlie advent of a higher form of life in modifying the structure 

 of an older and lower form, by Prof. Owen, C.B., F.R.S. In 

 this paper the author, after referring to the general question of 

 the modification of the structure of organic forms produced by 

 the action of external influences, indicated that, in connection 

 with this, changes in the nature of the prey of carnivorous animals 

 ought to be taken into consideration. lie inferred that cold- 

 blooded aquatic animals formed a much greater proportion of the 

 food of mcsozoic than of neozoic crocodiles, and pointed out as 

 connected therewith the well-marked distinction between the 

 amphicoclian and procoelian type of vertebrte respectively charac- 

 teristic of the two groups. The procoelian character of the trunk- 

 vertebrae better adapts that part of the body to be sustained and 

 moved in air, and may be connected with the incoming in tertiary 

 limes of mammalian prey inducing the crocodiles to rush on 

 shore. The mesozoic crocodiles were encased in a much stronger 

 and more complete dermal armour than their successors, doubt- 

 less for their protection from the great ichthyosaurs, pliosaurs, 

 &c. , which co-existed with them ; but as these passed away at 

 the close of the secondary epoch, the armour of the procoelian 

 crocodiles has become more scanty, and the diminution of weight 

 and rigidity thus caused would favour progression in air, and 

 the rapidity of movement required for capturing mammalian 

 prey on land. The difference in the position of the palato- 

 nares, and in other related gular and palatal structures, 

 between the mesozoic and neozoic crocodiles is apparently 

 connected with the power possessed by the latter of holding 

 submerged a powerful mammal without permitting the access of 

 water to the posterior nostrils and windpipe of the crocodile ; 

 and hence the author is inclined to ascribe a fish- diet even to 

 those massive-jawed crocodiles from the Purbeck (such as 

 Goniopholis crassidens and sinius), which in some respects might 

 seem fitted to grapple with large and active mammals. The 

 small size of the upper temporal apertures in tertiary and 

 existing crocodiles is regarded by the author as a further proof in 

 the same direction ; these apertures are reduced by the pro- 

 gressive"increase of the osseous roof of the temporal vacuities, 

 which again is correlated with increase in the bulk^and power of 

 the temporal muscles, the main agents in biting and holding. 

 The differences in the length and strength of the jaw, as a rule, 

 testify in the same direction. Further, the fore limbs in 

 mesozoic crocodiles are shorter than in neozoic species, indicating 

 that the former were more strictly aquatic in their habits ; the 

 forelimbs in all crocodiles being closely applied to the body 

 during rapid swimming, and small limbs being less obstructive 

 than larger ones. On the other hand, they would be less 

 efficient as a means of progression on land, and hence it may be 

 inferred that the advent in tertiary times of mammals frequenting 

 the water-side, tempting the crocodiles to make a rush upon the 

 land to seize such passing prey, would lead to such strenuous 

 action of the fore-limbs as would account for the increased size 

 and power of those organs in the neozoic species. The author 

 concluded with some remarks upon the influence of the above 

 considerations upon our views as to the generic divisions of 

 crocodiles. — Notes on a supposed crocodilian jaw from the coral 

 rag of Weymouth, by E. Tully Newton, F.G.S., of H.M. Geo- 

 logical Survey. In this paper the author describes what he 

 believes to be a fragment of a lower jaw of a crocodilian, ob- 

 tained from a greyish brown sandy grit, probably belonging to 

 bed 3 of Messrs. Blake and Hudleston's Sandford-Castle section. 

 — Note on two skulls from the Wealden and Purbeck forma- 

 tions indicating a new sub-group of crocodilia, by J. W. Ilulke, 

 F.R.S., F.G.S. The author described a crocodilian skull 

 obtained by Mr. 11. Willett, F.G.S., from the Hastings sands 

 near Cuckfield, in Sussex, and identified by that gentleman with 

 Goniopholis crassidens, Owen ; and another from the Purbecks 

 near Swanage, in the collection of the British Museum, which he 

 further compared with a third specimen from Brook, in the Isle 

 of Wight. 



February 15. — Annual General Meeting. — Prof. P.M. Duncan, 

 F.R, S., president, in the chair. — The Secretaries read the 

 Reports of the Council and of the Library and Museum Com- 

 mittee for the year 1877. The Society was described as in an 

 exceedingly prosperous condition, and the income of the year was 

 stated to have considerably exceeded the expenditure. The 

 number of Fellows elected was fully up to the average. The 

 Report further announced the receipt of a bequest of 500/. under 



the will of the late Mr. C. Lambert, which sum, with' 150/. of the 

 surplus of income, had been invested in consols for the benefit of 

 the Society. — The Wollaston Gold Medal was presented to Dr. 

 Thos. Wright, F.R.S,, for his varied palacontological researches. 

 — The President then presented the balance of the proceeds of the 

 Wollaston Donation Fund to Mr. W. J. Sollas, M.A., F.G.S,, 

 in recognition of his careful morphological and mineralogical 

 studies upon the fossil Spongida. — The President next handed the 

 Murchison Medal to Mr. Warington W. Smyth for transmission 

 to Dr. Ilanns Bruno Geinitz, of Dresden for his researches in 

 the geology and paloeontology of the palaeozoic and cretaceous 

 formations of Saxony ; and the balance of the proceeds of the 

 Murchison Geological Fund to Mr. H. Hicks, F.G.S., for trans- 

 mission to Mr, Charles Lapworth, F,G,S., for a most important 

 communication upon the Silurian rocks of the South of Scotland, 

 and the graptolites contained in them. — The President next 

 handed to Mr, J. W. Hulke, F.R.S,, the Lyell Medal and part 

 of the Lyell Fund for transmission to Mr. George Busk, F,R.S., 

 as a token of the Council's appreciation of his merits as a palaeon- 

 tologist. — The balance of the proceeds of the Lyell Fund was 

 handed to Dr. Oldham, F.R.S,, F,G.S., for transmission to Dr. 

 W. Waagen, of Vienna, and who was lately on the Geological 

 Survey of the East Indies, Dr. Waagen's labours in India have 

 commended themselves to the Council on account of their great 

 merit and interest, —The President then proceeded 'to read his 

 anniversary address, in which he dwelt in considerable detail 

 upon the influence of advanced morphological and zoologi- 

 cal investigations upon our palseontological ideas and upon 

 the geological inferences founded upon them. — The ballot 

 for the Council and Officers was taken, and the follow- 

 ing were duly elected for the ensuing year : — President, 

 H. C. Sorby, F.R.S. Vice-Presidents : R. Etheridge, F.R.S,, 

 John Evans, F.R,S., Prof, J, Prestwich, F,R,S,, Prof. A. C. 

 Ramsay, F.R.S. Secretaries : Prof. T. G. Bonney, M.A,, 

 Prof, J. W. Judd, F,R.S. Foreign Secretary : Warington W. 

 Smyth, F.R.S. Treasurer : J. Gwyn Jeffreys, F.R.S, Council : 

 H. Bauerman, Prof. T. G. Bonney, M.A., Prof. W. Boyd 

 Dawkins, F.R.S., Prof, P, Martin Duncan, F.R.S,, R. Ethe- 

 ridge, F,R,S., John Evans, F.R.S., Henry Hicks, W. H. 

 Hudleston, M.A., Prof. T. McKenny Hughes, M.A., J. W. 

 Hulke, F.R,S,, J. Gwyn Jeffreys, F,R,S,, Prof, T, Rupert 

 Jones, F,R.S., Prof, J, W. Judd, F.R.S,, J. Morris, J, A. 

 Phillips, Prof, J. Prestwich, F.R.S., F. ,G. H. Price, Prof. 

 A. C. Ramsay, F.R.S,, R, H. Scott, F,R.S., Warington 

 W. Smyth, F.R.S., H. C. Sorby, F.R.S,, Admiral T. A. B, 

 Spratt, C.B,, F.R.S., Rev. T. Wiltshire, F.L.S. 



Zoological Society, February 19. — Prof. Mivart, F.R.S., 

 vice-president, in the chair. — Tne Secretary exhibited the skin 

 of a fine adult cassowary, which had been obtained at Wandam- 

 men, on the eastern coast of the Bay of Geelvink, New Guinea, 

 and had just been acquired by the British Museum, The species 

 to which it belonged was believed to be undescribed, and was 

 proposed to be called C. altijugus, from its peculiar high-peaked 

 helmet. — Mr, P. Geddes read a memoir on the mechanism of 

 the odontophore in certain moUusca. In this paper the view of 

 Cuvier— that the movements of the radula depend upon those of 

 the underlying cartilages — was substantially revived, arguments 

 being adduced against the more recent theory of Prof, Huxley, 

 that it runs like a chain-saw, the cartilages merely forming a 

 pulley-block. The use of bacteria as food by Lymttaus was also 

 described by the author in this paper. — Prof. A. H. Garrod, 

 F.R.S., read some notes on the anatomy of Tolypeutes tricinctus, 

 and gave remarks on other Dasypodida:. A new form of Toly- 

 peutes, allied to T. conurus, was proposed to be called T. muriei. 

 — A communication was read from Mr. J. II. Gurney, F.Z.S., 

 containing notes on a specimen of Polyborus, lately living in the 

 Society's Gardens. — A communication was read from Mr. D. 

 G. Elliott, F.Z.S,, containing the results of his study of the 

 Pteroclidce, or family of sand grouse. Nine species of Pterocles 

 and two of Syrrhaptes were recognised as composmg the family, 

 — Messrs, F. Du Cane Godman and Osbert Salvin gave descrip- 

 tions of new species of diurnal lepidoptera from Central 

 America, — A communication was read from Mr, R, Bowdler 

 Sharpe, giving an account of a small collection of birds from 

 the Ellice Islands. — Mr. Edward R. Alston read a note on the 

 dentition of Cuscus. — A communication was read from Mr. T. 

 F. Cheeseman, containing the description of three new species 

 of Opisthobranchiate moUusca from New Zealand, — Dr, F, Day 

 communicated some I'emarks on the paper read by Mr, Whitmee 



