VilYHlCAS. CONDITIONH OF THK MKD/'I KI£UAN KAN 15A.SIN'. 12/ 



'J'lio CiiAii'vMAN rSii- ('. (ji<ihi)()\, K.d.li.) (:oriv(;y(:(l a vote of 

 tliankH to tho auffior for hiH paper, and the CJiair was then takea 



Dr. T. CiiAi'/jN, who i-emarked on ilio valii',- of hr. Ifull'8 paper, 

 Flo rofurrod trj tlio " Crooodilo Rivo" in tlio Jloly Land, the 

 cxi.stenco of cr-ocofJiU.'S in whioli had heeri drawn attention to hy 

 " Hob floy " MaoGrej^or, and a stuffed crocodile was now in the 

 rooms of the " Palestine Exploj*ation Fund " which had been 

 found and killed on that river bank in 1893. He added that the- 

 K^^yptians wen; «ll(;;(ed, with what trutli he could not eay, to have 

 Idoijglit crocodiles to that river, and ic was curious, in con- 

 nection with St, George, the patron saint of England, that he 

 was said to have slain the dragon in this locality. Crocodiles 

 now were only heard of west of the central chain of hills in 

 P;i.le,stine. 



General A. J>. 'I'r.i.ijjc.u, C.ii., C.M.G., spoke of having caught 

 trout in Moioer-o which l)r. iiuckland bad recognised as " true 

 frout." 



Othei- speakers refei-red to considerable terrestrial changes 

 having taken place in North Africa, also a tradition of the sea 

 having covered the Sahara Desert, the truth of which was shown 

 ))y the presence of sea-shells there. It was stated that the late 

 Rev. J. G. Wood had spoken of fish heing gradually accus- 

 tomed to change from living in salt to living in frcHh water, and 

 rioe versd ; and Mr, F. W. Kirhy spoke of being under the im- 

 pression that a chain of lakes may have extended from the 

 Mediterranean to the Arctic Ocean. 



The AcTKOii — referring to Mr. Kirby's remark — .said that no 

 doubt there had been, so far as one could judge, a considerable 

 elevation of land in Central Asia; as to the crocodile. Dr. Lortet, 

 in the passage he liad quoted, said "the crocodile has migrated 

 along with the papyrus from the Nile to the Zerka, and the lake of 

 lluleh is full of the African Chromi." The author concluded 

 by thanking Dr. Chaplin for occupying the Chair, adding, "most 

 of us are aware that he has spent some twenty years in the Holy 

 [jnnd, in doing valuable medical and religious work amongst the 

 inhabitants, and it is a gratification to see that he is able to return, 

 after that long period of arduous woik, in that health and strength 

 which we hope may long be accorded to him." 



The Meeting was then adjoar^ied. 



K 



