May 11, 1871] 

of 46,0007. had been devoted to the permanent improvement of 
the society’s.garden establishment, the expenditure of which had 
enabled the council to renew nearly the whole of the more m- 
portant buildings on an improved and enlarged scale. These 
facts, it was believed, could not be otherwise than gratifying to 
the Fellows of the society. The society then proceeded to ballot 
for the council and officers for the ensuing year, when Lord Cal- 
thorpe, Mr. Francis Galton, F.R.S., Captain the Count Gleichen, 
R.N., Mr. John Gould, F.R.S., and Dr. Hamilton were elected 
into the council, in the place of Professor Huxley, F.R.S., Mr. J. 
Travers Smith, Lord Walsingham, Mr. G. R. Waterhouse, and 
the Bishop of Winchester, who retired therefrom, and Viscount 
Walden was re-elected president; Mr. Robert Drummond, 
treasurer; and Mr. P. L. Sclater, F.R.S., secretary. 
Zoological Society, May 2.—Viscount Walden, President, 
in the chair. A letter was read from W. H. Hudson, addressed 
to the secretary, containing observations on the habits of the 
various swallows met within and around Buenos Ayres.—Mr. P. 
L. Sclater exhibited and made remarks on the shell of a river- 
tortoise of the genus Pelomedusa, obtained by Mr. Chapman on 
the Upper Zambesi.—Prof. Flower exhibited and made remarks 
on the mounted skeleton of the young hippoptoamus, recently born 
in the Society’s Gardens.—-The Viscount Walden read a paper 
on the Birds of the island of Celebes, in which the materials 
hitherto available for the elaborationof its avi-fauna were brought 
together and discussed. Out of the generic forms met with in 
Celebes, thirty-eight appeared to be Indian, and twenty-three 
Australian in character. To these were added a strong element 
of individuality, shown by the presence of sixty-five species, and 
nine genera unknown elsewhere. The avi-fauna of Celebes, so 
far as was certainly known, was composed of 193 species; but 
the author observed that a considerable portion of the centre of 
the island remained unexplored, which gave a prospect of future 
discoveries. —A communication was read from Mr. W. Harper 
Pease, of Honolulu, Sandwich Islands, containing a catalogue 
of all the known Jand-shells inhabiting Polynesia, together with 
remarks on their synonomy, distribution, and variation, and 
descriptions of some new genera and species.—A com- 
munication was read from Dr. John Anderson, Curator of the 
Indian Museum, Calcutta, containing the description of a new 
generic form of newt from Western Yunan, proposed to be called 
Tulototriton verrucosus.—A second communication from Dr. J. 
Anderson contained some drawings of and notes on the original 
specimens of Zestudo phayrei, Blyth, in the Indian Museum. 
Having examined the skull in the British Museum upon which 
Scaphia falconert, Gray, had been based, and re-examined the 
smaller example of Zéstudo phayret at Calcutta, Dr, Anderson 
had come to the conclusion that Mr. Theobald’s account of its 
history was strictly accurate.—A communication was read from 
Dr. J. E. Gray, F.R.S., entitled Notes on the species of Brady- 
jide in the British Museum. 
Geological Society, April 26.—Prof. Morris, vice-president, 
in the chair.— Mr. Robert Russell, of the Geological Survey of 
England and Wales, was elected a Fellow of the Society. The 
following communications were read :—1. ‘‘On a new species 
of Coral from the Red Crag of Waldringfield,” by Prof. P. 
Martin Duncan, F.R.S. Prof. Duncan described, under the 
name of Solenastr@a Prestwichi, a small compound coral obtained 
by Mr. A. Bell from Waldringfield, and stated that it was par- 
ticularly interesting as belonging to a reef-forming type of corals 
which has persisted at least from the Eocene period to the pre- 
sent day. The single specimen consisted of several small crowded 
corallites, having calices from 4; to 4, inch in diameter, united 
by a cellular epithecal ccenenchyma. It was much rolled and 
worn before its deposition in the Red Crag, and hence the author 
regarded it as a derivative fossil in that formation, and he stated 
that it probably belonged to the rich reef-building coral-fauna 
which succeeded that of the Nummulitic period. Mr. Etheridge 
remarked that the origin of this interesting fossil seemed uncer- 
tain. It appeared, however, to be derived from some other 
source, and not to have originally belonged to the Red Crag. 
In England the genus was hitherto unknown in beds newer than 
those of Brockenhurst. The presence of this single specimen 
showed how much we had still to learn with regard to the crag 
formation. It was to be hoped that the coral might eventually 
be found attached to some organism from which its age might be 
determined. Prof. T. Rupert Jones remarked that he would be 
glad to hear of more corals being discovered in the so-called 
Coralline Crag. He inquired whether coenenchymatous corals 
NATURE 


37 

were necessarily reef-corals, observing that this coral was referred 
to the Miocene on account of its presumed reef-forming character. 
He added that some of the Foraminifera of the White Crag had 
the aspect of existing Western Mediterranean forms, and thus 
supported some of Prof. Duncan’s remarks. Mr. Gwyn Jeffreys 
observed that the distinction between the Coralline and Red Crag 
seemed to be every day diminishing. The appearance of the 
fossil seemed to betoken its derivative character. Like other 
speakers, he complimented Mr. Alfred Bell on his great intelli- 
gence in the collection of crag fossils. Prof. Duncan, in reply, 
maintained that the differences between deep-sea and reef-building 
corals were well established, and around modern reefs in the 
deeper sea the forms were quite distinct, and the deep-sea corals 
never presented the ccenenchyma distinctive of the reef-building 
form. This, he suggested, might be connected with the differ- 
ence in the amount of sea-water with which it was brought in 
contact, which in the surf was much greater than in the almost 
motionless depths of the sea.—2. ‘‘ Notes on the Minerals of 
Strontian, Argyleshire,” by Robert H. Scott, M.A., F.R.S. The 
paper stated that the existing lists of minerals to be found at 
Strontian were incorrect. The discovery of apophyllite, talc, 
and zircon seemed to be hardly sufficiently confirmed. On the 
other hand, Mr. Scott named several species which he had him- 
self observed ## situ, and which are not noticed in any of the 
books, viz., two felspars, orthoclase, and an anorthic felspar in 
the granite ; two varieties of pyroxenic minerals in the granite 
and syenites, neither of which have as yet been analysed ; natro- 
lite in the trap-dykes, muscovite or margarodite in very large 
plates, lepidomelane and schorl. Specimens of these minerals 
and of the others found at the mines were exhibited ; but it was 
s'ated that, owing to the fact that the old workings at the mines 
in Glen Strontian had been allowed to fall in, it was now no 
longer possible to ascertain much about the association of the 
species. The one is galena, containing very little silver. The 
gangue is remarkable for the absence of fluor and the compara- 
tive rarity of blende and heavy spar. Harmotome is found prin- 
cipally at a mine called Bell’s Grove, both in the opaque variety 
and in the clear one called moryenite. Brewsterite occurs at the 
mine called Middle Shap, and at the mine Whitesmith stron: 
tianite is found with brewsterite, but without harmotome. Cal- 
cite is alse very common. Within the last few years a new mine 
has been opened called Corrantee, which is in the gneiss, whereas 
the other mines lie on the junction of the granite and gneiss. At 
this mine several fine specimens of calcite have occurred, many 
of them coated with twin crystals of harmotome, similar to those 
from Andreasberg, whereas the crystals found at the old mine 
are not so clearly macled. Associated with these were found a 
number of small hexagonal prisms, perfectly clear, and exhibit- 
ing a very obtuse dihedral termination. They gave the blowpipe 
reaction of harmotome; and on analysis by Dr. J. E. Reynolds, 
proved to be that mineral. Descloiseaux has already described 
a quadrifacial termination to harmotome, with an angle of 178° 20’. 
Mr. Scott submitted that possibly the crystals which he exhibited 
might bear faces which had a close relation to those described by 
Descloiseaux. He concluded by stating that Strontian promised 
as rich asharvest to the mineralogist as any locality is these 
islands. Mr. W. W. Smyth mentioned the wonderful collection 
of minerals from Strontian which had been brought to the Great 
Exhibition of 1861, which gave a most striking idea of the 
mineral riches of the locality. The occurrence of such a ser es 
of different substances in one locality in the granite was almost 
unparalleled, though in the Andreasberg mines, in clay state, 
they were to some extent rivalled. The features, however, 
differed in the two places, more silver and a greater number of 
zeolites being present in the Hartz mines. Mr. D. Forbes 
observed that harmotome occurred also at the Kongsberg silver- 
mines in Norway, at a distance from granite. He thought it 
remarkable that these crystals of peculiar form occurred in the 
same spot and in connection with crystals of the same substance, 
but of the ordinary form. Mr. Davis remarked that celestine 
was also to be placed on the list of the minerals fiom Strontian. 
Harmotome had been found in the same form of double crystals 
at Bodenwies in Bavaria. Mr. Scott stated, in reply to a ques- 
tion from the chairman, that the mineral had not been as yet 
optically examined, but that if he could procure more of it he 
should be happy to place it at the disposal of any gentleman who 
would examine it. As regarded the idea that harmotome usually 
occurred near the surface, he could give no information about the 
old mines, as they had been allowed to fall in ; but most certainly 
the new specimens from Corrantee came from surface-workings, 
He was very glad to leam from Mr, Davis that celestine had 
