Geological Society. 117 



European P. fontincde. Two Edriophtlialmoiis Crustacea (Phihoscia 

 Guernei and Orchestia Chevreiuvi) and an Ostracod {Ciipris Moniezi) 

 are also described as new. 



The most important special zoological section of the work is a 

 monographic note on the Eotiferous family Asplanchnidse, a trans- 

 lation of which is given in the present number of the ' Annals,' and 

 to which therefore we need not further refer, except to say, in 

 continuation of the last paragraph, that it includes descriptions of 

 four new species, only one of which {A. ImJioJi), however, is 

 peculiar to the locality. 



M. de Guerne gives a useful table of the terrestrial and freshwater 

 animals now known to inhabit the Azores (omitting the terrestrial 

 Insects), indicating particularly their distribution as observed by 

 himself in Eayal and St. Michael's, with notes on the records of 

 other writers. 



In conclusion, the author discusses the general results of the 

 researches made by himself and others upon the fauna of the 

 Azores, and arrives at results which may be summarized as fol- 

 lows : — The terrestrial fauna of the Azores is of distinctly European 

 character, which is still more the case with that of the fresh waters. 

 The species are generally very widely 'distributed, many of them 

 probably cosmopolite ; they seem to have been chiefly conveyed to 

 the Azores by winds and by birds. The peopling of the Azorean 

 fresh waters has been accomplished rapidly, the lakes being of com- 

 paratively modern origin. The fecundity and power of adaptation 

 to new media of the introduced animals, coupled with the absence 

 of the struggle for existence, will account for the rapidity with 

 which the waters have become peopled. The marked differentiation 

 of the terrestrial fauna is explained by the facts that the facilities 

 of transport of these types are less and that its origin is much more 

 ancient. The Alpine character of the terrestrial fauna of the Azores 

 maintained by some writers has not been demonstrated. 



PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 



GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



May 9, 1888.— W. T. Blanford, LL.D., F.R.S., 

 President, in the Chair. 



The following communication was read : — 



" The Stockdale Shales." By J. E. Marr, Esq., M.A., Sec.G.S., 

 and Prof. H. A. Nicholson, M.D., D.Sc, F.G.S. 



The Stockdale Shales extend in an E.N.E.-W.S.W. direction 

 across the main part of the Lake District, parallel with the under- 

 lying Coniston Limestone Series and the overlying Coniston Flags, 



