38 
NATURE 
and called particular attention to four Burrowing Owls presented 
by G. Wilks, Esq., C.M.Z.S., and to a wood-loving antelope 
(Cephalophus sylvicultrix), obtained by purchase.—Mr. J. E. 
Harting, F.Z.S., exhibited an unusually fine specimen of the 
Dusky Redshank ( Zo¢anus fuscus)'in summer plumage, recently 
killed near London.—The Rey. H. B. Tristram exhibited two 
skins of Salicaria melanofogon—a rare European warbler, 
obtained near Ettawah, north of Agra, being the first recorded 
occurrence of this species in Central India.—Dr. E. Hamilton 
communicated an extract from a letter addressed to him by his 
nephew, Capt. Hamilton, lately commanding detachment at 
Port Blair, concerning the true locality of the so-called “Anda- 
man Monkey,” now in the Society’s Gardens, which was stated 
to have been imported into the Andaman Islands from Burmah. 
—A letter was read from Dr. John Anderson, F.Z.S., of the 
Indian Museum, Calcutta, announcing that he had obtained a 
specimen of the dolphin of the Irrawaddi, which turned out to 
be a species of the genus. Glodiocephalus.—Mr. St. George 
Mivart read a memoir on the axial skeleton of the tailed 
batrachians, containing observations on the development and 
mode of formation of the spinal ‘column of these animals.—A 
communication was read from Mr. Gerard Krefft, C.M.Z.S., 
containing the description of a new and very remarkable 
animal, allied to Zefidosiven, recently discovered in the fresh- 
waters of Queensland. Mr. Krefft considered this animal to be 
an Amphibian, and referred it to the genus Ceratodus of 
Agassiz, proposing to call it Ceratodus Forsteri, after Mr. Wm. 
Forster, its discoverer.—Mr. R. Swinhoe, F.Z.S., read a paper 
on the Mammals of Hainan, as observed during his recent visit 
to that island. The number of species enumerated was 21, 
amongst which was a hare, believed to be undescribed, and pro- 
posed to be called ZLepus Aainanus.—A second communication 
was read by Mr. Swinhoe, being a list of reptiles and batra- 
chians found in the same island, with notes on their habits. The 
species had been determined by Dr. Giinther.— Mr. D. G. 
Elliot, F.Z.S., read a paper on some new genera and species of 
birds belonging to the families Formicariide, Pachycephalide, 
and Sylwiide. These were proposed to be called Xenorhynchus 
pachycephaloides (from New Caledonia), Clytoctantes alixit (from 
Ecuador), and Calamoherpe subflavescens (from Dahouria).— 
Messrs. Sharpe and Dresser read a paper ‘‘On some new or 
little-known points in the economy of the common swallow” 
Hirundo rustica). The authors drew special attention to the 
changes of plumage ‘through which this species passed during 
its residence in Southern Africa.—Mr. G. B. Sowerby com- 
municated descriptions of 48 new species of shells from various 
localities. 
CARDIFF 
Naturalists’ Society, April 5.—A paper was read on 
** Water in its different forms,” by Mr. Vivian. A large num- 
ber of very interesting objects contained in various descriptions 
of water were shown under the microscope, among which the 
most interesting were the contents of two vials, both froma 
shallow, muddy-looking bog on Splottland Moor, which fur- 
nished a puzzle for the members of the Society, and a satisfactory 
solution of which is still a desideratum. One of these was filled 
with the yellow gelatinous substance which deposits the famous 
bog iron, consisting chiefly of a very minutely twisted conferva, 
which Sir C. Lyell, after Ehrenberg, called Ga//ionella, but which 
is now more commonly named with Griffith Didymohelix ferru- 
ginea. Within this yellow substance was an innumerable swarm 
of bluish-green animalcules (Stentor polymorphus), with several 
specimens of two other kinds of Vorticellineze —viz., Urocentrum 
turbo and Caenomorpha medusula, This is a very funny living 
parasol, worth seeing. The other vial, except the yellowstuff, which 
was eliminated on purpose, had the same trumpeters (.S. Ao/y- 
morphus), which, wonderful to say, on being corked disappeared, 
collapsing all at once, and leaving nothing behind but a milky, 
bluish-green water, which still keeps its colour after several 
days. We shall wait to see if any living creature will ever come 
out of it by spontaneous or hemigerminal generation. From 
another vial a good harvest of phytozoa (Zuglen@) was expected, 
all the water looking deep yellow green ; but this water, too, 
never settled as it does when living Zugiene are collected, a clear 
proof that here also the animals come to grief—when and how? 
—that is the question the members of the Cardiff Naturalists’ 
Society wish to have solved by some of our readers. In re- 
ference to the contents of a single drop of water, Prof. Gagliardi 
remarked :—Jt was in the same gathering that an extremely 
minute protoplasmic bit of living matter was seen. Under a 
magnifying power of 500 diameters this floating atom looked like 
a little comma, scarcely half the size of the Surirella minute 
that was living with it. Another unusually large specimen of 
Ameba came out of a gathering in a pond in Cathays ; it looked 
somewhat like a streaming worm. I have no doubt that it was 
but a stronger variety of the Amaba princeps; yet, seeing how 
| May 12, 1870 
steadily it kept to the vernicular form, with very slight changes 
now and then, I should call it rather 4. vermicularis. 
GLASGOW 
Geological Society, April 14.—Professor John Young, 
President, in the chair.--Mr. James Geikie, Vice-President, 
read a letter from Mr. Croll, of the Geological Survey of 
Scotland, referring to a paper contributed by him to the trans- 
actions of the Edinburgh Geological Society, on “Ancient River 
Channels buried under Drift,” and on which Mr. John Young — 
had made some remarks at a previous meeting. 
discussion ensued on the points referred to in the letter.—Mr. D, 
Bell read a paper entitled “Aspects of Clydesdale during the 
Glacial Period.” 
which had been made out from the dawn of the glacial epoch, 
down to acomparatively recent geological time—beginning with 
the period of land-ice, and ending with the “last elevation” of 
the land. As to the period of land-ice, he thought the first 
point which they had to fix in their minds and try to get some 
An animated — 
He gave a sketch of the succession of events — 
adequate notion of, was the great thickness and mass which the — 
ice attained. He did not know where they could get a better or 
more impressive idea of this than by ascending Ben Lomond. He 
described the marks of the ice, the grooved and polished surfaces, 
that may be traced from the shore at Rowardennan to a great 
height on Ben Lomond, observing that the ice evidently did not — 
come down the mountain, but moved along or across it. He 
also referred to similar markings on the neighbouring hills, and 
the conclusion these all led to was, that the entire hollow in 
which Loch Lomond now lies was at one time filled from side to 
side with a mass of ice which only the higher mountains over- 
topped, and from which Ben Lomond itself only rose as a little 
rocky islet. Having shown that this was quite in harmony with 
what had been observed in other parts of the country, among 
the mountains of Perthshire, Aberdeenshire, and Argyleshire, he 
said he had nodoubt the great depth of Loch Lomond in its 
upper part, where it is not less than 100 fathoms, was due mainly 
to the action of the ice, which was there compressed and im- 
prisoned, forcing its way between the hills. In the lower part 
it got spread out more, so that although it had softer rocks to 
deal with, it produced comparatively a less effect. He then 
alluded to similar proofs of glacial action in the neighbouring 
parts of the Firth of Clyde—at Garelochhead and along the 
shores of that loch, of Lochlong, Lochgoil, and the Holy 
Loch—on the hills behind Gourock, Greenock, and 
Port-Glasgow—on Dumbarton Castle rock—on the flanks 
of the Kilpatrick hills—on the opposite side of the river 
near Bishopton, and all over the lower grounds from the 
Gleniffer and Cathkin braes on the one side, to the Campsie hills 
on the other. The persistency and uniformity of direction of 
these markings, alike in the valley and over the neighbouring 
hills, sufficiently proved the great volume the ice must have at- 
tained. He then proceeded to consider the formation of the 
boulder clay, holding that the lower till or clay was the product 
of this great sheet of land ice, and that the upper boulder clay 
was more probably due to sea ice during the period which fol- 
lowed, when the land was submerged to a depth of several hun- 
dred feet beneath its present level. He referred to the beds of 
sand found interspersed throughout the boulder clay, and thought 
that whether the theory of land or sea ice were adopted, these 
might be explained without supposing, as some did, that there 
had been so many distinct ‘‘ breaks” in the glacial period. He 
pointed out the narrowness of the basis on which such conclu- 
sions rested, only a very few of the borings which had been ad- 
duced showing more than one or two beds of sand ; and main- 
tained that the one ‘‘ break ” of which we seemed to have evidence, 
between the first and second depression of the land, was suffi- 
cient, if we considered and gave due weight to the gradual 
advance and retreat of the ice in each case, and the accumu- 
lations of water that must have been caused thereby, to 
account for all the beds of sand that had been described. 
Coming to the “shell-beds” which had been found at various 
heights in the Clyde valley, from Airdrie, at 510 feet, down to 
Paisley, and from that to the present sea margin, he was of 
