Dec. 7, 1871] 



NATURE 



1^5 



shown to be conclusive against the idea of coal-measures beiuj; 

 found there. Mr. Godwin-Austen remarked that the presumed 

 Devonian species of South Africa appeared not to have been 

 completely identified with those of European origin. Although, 

 judging from the range of European marine mollusca, some of 

 which were found of precisely the same species both in Europe 

 and at the Cape, there was nothing surprising in the extension of 

 any old deposit, yet it seemed unreasonable to suppose that the 

 whole district over which the wide-spread Devonian rocks 

 extend could have been submerged at the same time. He traced 

 the original foundation of the Devonian system to the late Mr. 

 Lonsdale, who, in the fossils found in the deposits of Devonshire, 

 thought he traced sufficient grounds for a marked discrimination 

 between those beds and those of Carboniferous age. Mr. Austen 

 had, however, always regarded the Devonian system as merely 

 an older member of the Carboniferous, holding much the same 

 relation to it as the Neocomian to the Cretaceous : and he would 

 be glad to see it recognised, not as an independent system, but 

 merely as the introduction of that far more important system, the 

 Carboniferous, during the deposit of which the globe was subject 

 to the same physiographical conditions. Mr. Ettieridge did not 

 agree with Mr. Austen as to the suppression of the name of 

 Devonian system, and commented on its wide-spread distribu- 

 tion, and on the peculiar facies of its fossils, and their importance 

 as a group. He was rather doubtful as to specific determinations 

 arrived at from casts. Though the species of many fossils of 

 (Queensland procured by Mr. Daintree did not correspond with 

 those of European areas, yet some of the corals were identical 

 with those of South and North Devon, as were also the lithologi- 

 cal characters of the containing beds. Mr. Seeley objected to 

 any attempt to supersede the arrangements of the South African 

 rocks in accordance with the local phenomena, by correlating 

 them too closely with any European series. The recognition of 

 the correspondence in forms seemed to him more to prove a simi- 

 larity of conditions of life than any absolute synchronism. As to 

 the connection between the Devonian and Carboniferous systems, 

 he agreed with Mr. Austen in regarding the one as merely con- 

 stituting the natural base of the other. 2. " On the Geology of 

 Fernando Noronha (S. lat. 3° 50', W. long. 32° 50')." By 

 Ale.xander Rattray, M.D. (Edm.), Surgeon R.X. Communicated 

 by Prof. Huxley, F. R. S. The author described the general 

 geological structure of Fernando Noronha and the smaller islands 

 which form a group with it. The surface-rock was described as 

 a coarse conglomerate, composed of rounded basaltic boulders 

 and pebbles, in a hard, dark red, clayey matrix. This overlies 

 a hard, dark, tine-grained basalt, which forms the most striking 

 of the bluffs, clifts, and outlying rocks. The highest peaks in 

 the group consist of a fine-grained, light grey granite. The 

 author remarked upon the possible relation of the geology of 

 these islands to that of the neighbouring continent of .South 

 America, and stated that there is evidence of the islands having 

 been elevated to some extent at a comparatively recent period. 

 3. "Note on some Ichthyosaurian Remains from Kimmeridge 

 Bay, Dorset." By Mr. J. W. Hulke, F.R.S. The author 

 noticed some teeth found, with a portion of an Ichthyosaurian 

 skull, in the Kimmeridge clay of Dorsetshire. The fragments of 

 the snout were said to indicate that it was about three feet long 

 and proportionally stout. The author indicated the character by 

 which these teeth were distinguishable from those of various 

 known species of Ichtliyosaunis, and stated that they approached 

 most closely to those of the Cretaceous /. cainpylodon. Mr. 

 Seeley did not consider that, in the main, the teeth of Reptilia 

 afforded any criteria for specific determination. In the Cambridge 

 Greensand, though there were five %\iz<:K%a^ Ichthyosauru!, pos- 

 sibly including a second genus, the teeth found were so closely 

 similar that it would have been impossible, from them only, to 

 identify more than one species. Mr, Boyd Dawkins recognised 

 in the specimens exhibited by Mr. Hulke a form of tooth he had 

 found in the Kimmeridge beds of Shotover, near Oxford, but 

 which he had been hitheno unable to attribute to any recognised 

 species. He could not fullv agree with .Mr. Seeley as to the ab- 

 sence of specific criteria in the teeth of Saurians, as, from his own 

 experience, he was inclined to attribute some importance to their 

 external sculpturing. 4. " Appendix to a ' Note on a New and 

 Undescribed Wealden Vertebra,' read gth February, 1S70, and 

 published in the Quarterly Journal for August in that year." 

 By Mr. J. W. Hulke, F.R.S. Ihe author generically identified 

 this vertebra with Oniil/u'pii;, Seeley, StreptosponJyIiis, Owen, 

 and Cdiosaunis, Owen, taking the last to be typified by the large 

 species in the Oxford Museum. He remarked that if this be the 

 type of Cdiosaunis, C. Inwis, Owen, can hardly belong to it, as 



the trunk vertcbrre are described as being of a totally different 

 structure. Mr. Boyd Dawkins, who had recently visited Oxford, 

 stated that he had there examined the remains referred to. 

 There was, however, no tooth found with them of a character to 

 show the nature of the food on which the animal subsisted. But 

 one of his students had lately found in the same pit that had 

 afforded the remains, a too:h corresponding in its principal 

 characters with those of /j^uaiiodon, with which, therefore, the 

 Cdiosaunis seemed to be allied, so that it was probably a vege- 

 table feeder. Mr. J. Parker had lately procured from the Kim- 

 meridge clay a number of Saurian remains, and among them 

 were some vertebr.-e of RPfgahsaiirus, to which were articulated 

 others presenting distinctly the characters of Strcptospondybis. 

 He thought that probably many of the supposed Streptospon- 

 dylian vertebrEe might prove to belong to the cervical region of 

 Dinosaurians. Mr. Seeley disputed the attribution to Cdiosaiirus 

 of the vertebrce described, and questioned whether the remains 

 at Oxford might not be assigned to Stnptospondyliis or Ornithop- 

 sis. The depressions in the vertebrae, which might be connected 

 with the extension of the air-cells of the lungs, did not exist in 

 Cdiosaunis, but were to be found in Megalosaunis. As to the 

 premaxillary tooth mentioned by Mr. Dawkins, he was uncertain 

 whether it should be referred to what he considered as Cdiosau- 

 nis proper, or to the Oxford reptile. Mr. Hulke replied, point- 

 ing out that, since the determination of the Oxford reptile as 

 Cdiosaunis, numerous other remains of the same species had 

 been discovered, which had added materially to the basis of 

 classification. — The following specimens were exhibited to the 

 meeting : — Devonian fossils from the Witzenberg ; exhibited by 

 Professor T. R. Jones, F. G.S., in illustration of his paper. 

 Specimens of Silver Ores from South America ; exhibited by 

 Professor Tennant, F.G.S. Fragment of the Wolf Rock, near 

 tlie Land's End, and section under polarised light ; exhibited by 

 Mr. Frank Clarkson, F.G.S. 



Royal Geographical Society, November 27. — Major-Gen. 

 Sir H. C. Rawlinson, K.C.B., president, in the chair. — The 

 President read a letter from Dr. Kirk, of Zanzibar, to the late 

 Sir Roderick Murchison, giving news of a serious outbreak in 

 Unyanyembe, the country lying on the main route to Lake Tan- 

 ganyika, which is likely to prevent communicalion with Dr. 

 Livingstone for some time to come. The letter was dated 

 September 25 th, and stated that a native chief, having been 

 attacked by a force of Arabs settled in Unyanyemlje, had waited 

 his assailants in ambush when returning with their plunder, and 

 had kibed many of the principal men. Mr. Stanley, an American 

 gentleman, who was travelling to Lake Tanganyika, and who 

 had charge of letters and stores for Dr. Livingstone, was in the 

 fray, and had been deserted by the Arabs. He had also been ill 

 of fever, and his future plans were uncertain. A report, to which 

 Dr. Kirk attached little credence, had spread in Zinzibir, to the 

 effect that Livingstone and the Arab Mohammed bin Gharib, 

 with whom he had been living, were returning round the south 

 end of Tanganyika, and out of the region of disturbances. 

 Captain R. F. Burton, in commenting upjn this letter, informed 

 the meeting that similar affrays between Arab trading parties and 

 the natives had occui-red before, and that this unsettle! state 

 might continue for two or three years. He thought that Living- 

 stone would find no difficulty in returning by the south of the 

 lake, and that a fearless min like him, speaking the native 

 languages, would be able to pass through the disturoed districts. 

 He had not the sUghtest misgiving with regard to him. — Ciptain 

 Barton then read a paper "On the Volcanic Region east of 

 Diniiscus and the Cave of Umm Niran. " This was a narrative 

 of a hazardous journey of fifteen days, which he had performed 

 in .May and June 1871, in company with Mr. C. F. Tyrwhitt 

 Drake, through the Safa Region, the Oriental Trachoii of the 

 Greek geographers, a wide extent of ancient lava-fields, the hills 

 of which, like little pyramids, dot the eastern horizon, as viewed 

 from Damascus. The danger and difficulty of visiting the many 

 interesting places in tiiis district arose simply from certain petty 

 tribes of Belouin, descendants of the refractory robbers of the 

 Trachonitis, who dwell in the highlands of the Hauran, under 

 the patronage of the Druses. The worst are the Ghlyas and the 

 Shtaya, who although they have given hostages, were allowed, 

 during the author's stay at Damascus, to ride the country within 

 three hours of the walls, and to plunder the villages. During 

 one of his excursions a skirmishing party of Ghiyas attacked his 

 party, severely wounding one of his companions. During his 

 journey 120 inscriptions were collected, including three in the 

 Palmyrene dialect. The volcanic outbreak to which the district 



