KNOWLEDGE & SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



[May, 1905. 



remains a rise in the level of the ocean, then presumably the 

 tail-end of that period still remains, and there is now more ice 

 in Arctic regions than there was in those times immediately 

 preceding the period. This is to some extent borne out, of 

 course, by the lossil plant-remains of tertiary age, which have 

 been found within the .-Vrctic circle. 



* * * 



Drift Deposits. 



In a paper on the Superficial Deposits of Central and 

 Southern England, Dr. .-\. E. Salter, F.G.S., has summarised 

 the various drift deposits over the area mentioned. The re- 

 print of the paper, which was read before the Geologists" Asso- 

 ciation, will prove of great use to students of these surface 

 accumulations. I should like to see more attention paid to 

 the Merstham Gap in the North Downs, for, although the 

 stream which cut it before the Weald was denuded has long 

 been captured by the Mole, there is no doubt that the two 

 intermittent bournes, from the gap, and along the Catcrham 

 \'allcy, represent all that is left of the river system of which 

 the Merstham Gap is the chief visible work. Prestwich's 

 thin covering of eravel at " West Ho, near Norwood," 

 referred toby Dr. Salter, is much thicker than he knew. I have 

 described elsewhere the gravel which extends from Westow 

 Hill, Upper Norwood, south to Grange flill, and some reputed 

 palajoliths, and, according to some geologists, eoliths, have lieen 

 found in sub-angular gravel at the top of South Norwood Hill, 

 at 370 feet O. D. The high-level gravels of L'pper Norwood 

 are an important geological feature of days contemporary, I 

 believe, with the existence of the arch of the great Wcalden 

 anticline. 



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Geological Maps and Samples. 



Geologists may perhaps be interested in knowini,' that 

 geological maps can now be ordered at most of the large post 

 offices in London, as well as at head otTices in the Provinces. 

 Indexes and small specimen maps are kept at upwards of 700 

 head post offices throughout the country. The foreign sample 

 post is an excellent medium for the transmission of geological 

 fpecimens to and from abroad, natural history specimens, 

 generally, being allowed by the authorities at the cheap rate of 

 4 ounces for one penny, when prepaid within the United 

 Kingdom They must not, however, be sent as articles of 

 commerce. 



* • • 



Coa.l-Meas\ire Classificatiorv. 



On April ijth, a paper was read before the Geological 

 Society of London by Mr. Robert Kideston, E.G.S., on " The 

 Divisions and Correlation of the Upper Portion of the Coal- 

 Measures." A new classification was proposed, by which the 

 Upper Coal Measures were to be known as the Radstockian 

 Series, a Transition Series as the Staffordian Series, the M iddle 

 Coal-Measures as the Westphalian Serie.s, and the Lower 

 Coal- Measures and Millstone grit as the Lanarkian Series. 

 The proposed substitntion of new terms for those which have 

 obtained hitherto did not meet with much approval, and we 

 sympathise with the protest which was made ag.iinst the in- 

 troduction of new terms, except under conditions of the 

 strongest necessity. 



« « « 



The Phosphatic Chalk at Taplow. 



A further paper read at the same meeting dealt with the 

 " Age and Relations of the Phosphatic Chalk of Taplow," by 

 H. J. O. Whiie, F.G.S., and Llewellyn Treacher, K.G.S. The 

 rocks were described in detail, and the following clas.sification 

 was adopted : — 



Feet. 

 E. Upper White Chalk . . . . (visible) 16 

 D. (j'pper Brown Chalk, or rich phosphatic 



band about 8 



C. Middle White Chalk .. ,, lO 



B. Lower Brown Chalk, or rich phosphatic 



band . . about 4 



A. I^wer White Chalk .. (visible) 17 



The Lower White Chalk includes a thin layer of tabular 

 flint and one of elongated nodular flints. ,-ind the first signs 

 of phosphatic materi.d were observed a few inchi-s below the 

 tabular seam. Attention was drawn to the presence of phos- 

 phatic nodules and concretions at certain horizons; and the 



authors concluded that the Lower White Chalk belongs to the 

 zone of Micrasti^r cor-aiiguinum, and the succeeding beds to 

 that of Marsul<ites tcstudiimrius ; while the lower phosphate- 

 band represents the lower part of the t'i';i/iJfn')iHS-band, and 

 the upper one that of the Marsupitcs-haxiA of that zone. In 

 each phosphate-band the base is quite sharp, being defined by 

 a rock-bed in the Chalk ; but the upper limit is very ill- 

 marked. The Middle \\'hite Chalk is in part divided into 

 lenticles with slickensidcd surfaces. The authors found 

 ActiiiPciiniiix rcnis in B, and A.gnnuilatus in D and E, but not 

 .! . quadi-atui in any bed. Phosphatization is not confined to 

 the foraminifera, and other microscopic remains, but occurs in 

 all shells and structures which are readily penetrable, although 

 not so markedly in those of a more homogeneous character. 

 Scalaria occurs in division E, the upper part of which may 

 possibly just include the base of the zone of Actiiiocamax quad- 

 mills, or at any rate may not be many feet below that base. 

 The distribution, numerical proportion, and, to some extent 

 also, the morphological character of the microscopic fossils 

 of the Phosphatic Chalk are exceptional. The authors of the 

 papers think that a part, at least, of the phosphatized material 

 has acquired its distincti\e mineralogical character on the 

 spot. So far as can be ascertained from existing data, the 

 Phosphatic Chalk is confined to a small tract of country 

 measuring less than 3.V miles from north-east to south-west 

 by less th.an i mile from north-west to south-east. 



OR.NITHOLOGICAL. 



By W. P. I'vcRAiT, A.L.S., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U., &c. 



The Doom of the Penguin. 



The Penguins of Macquarie Island and the desolate Auck- 

 lands are in danger of extermination at the hands of the 

 company promoter, and this fate will certainly overtake them 

 unless steps are taken to save them. 



Dr. E. A. Wilson points out that for some years past a 

 considerable trade has gone on in the preparation of penguin 

 oil, which is obtained by casting these unfortunate birds by 

 the thousand into the melting-pot and boiling them down. No 

 less than 100 tons of oil so procured has recently been placed 

 on the market. Encouraged by success, a scheme is now afoot 

 whereby cauldrons are to be set upon the Auckland Islands to 

 facilitate this nefarious traffic. Hitherto the " rookeries " of 

 these Islands have suffered comparatively little; but once the 

 cauldron fires are lighted they will not be allowed to die out 

 till the last survivor of the host has been tlung into the 

 seething broth. Surely no effort should be spared to frustrate 

 this diabolical scheme. 



« ♦ » 



A Great Egg Collection. 



Our oological readers will be glad to know that Mr. Radcliffe 

 Saunders has just presented his collection of 10,000 eggs to 

 the Natural History Museum at South Kensington. This is 

 the second donation of 10,000 eggs that Mr. Saunders has 

 sent to the Museum. His last gift includes many rarities. 

 The Raptorial series is complete, and so also is that of the 

 crows, crossbills, and buntings. The collection of cuckoos' 

 eggs (Ciiciiliis cauorus) is especially fine, numbering over 300 

 specimens. Their value is greatly enhanced by the fact that 

 they have in every case been preserved with those of the 

 hosts destined to hatch them. 



The generosity displayed by Mr. Saunders cannot be easily 

 over-estimated. He has placed at the disposal of oologiststhe 

 world over a collection brought together with the most exact- 

 ing surveillance. Till now, only a favoured few could derive 

 any profit from these labours — henceforth all may benefit who 



Hairy Waterhen at Bury St. Edmunds. 



The /odliif^iil, for March, records the capture of one of 

 those curious variations of the waterhen which occurs from 

 time to time, wherein the feathers acquire a peculiarly loose 

 structure, comparable to that which obtains in Ratite 

 birds. In colour, this bird, as in other cases of this kind, is 

 described as of a warm sandy-brown above, and greyish-white 



