158 
NATURE 



eight or ten miles each ; then followed a rest of several days, in 
places where pasture was abundant. Lieutenant Musters was 
altogether more than a year with the tribe, who had come to 
look upon him as one of themselves. In May 1870 he crossed 
the country again from west to east, and on the 21st of that 
month arrived at the Argentine settlement of Patagonia, near 
the mouth of the Rio Negro. The climate of the country, in 
which he reached north of 40° S. lat., he describes as cold and 
ungenial ; snow fell at midsummer, and the greatest heat expe- 
rienced in the warmer months was only 65°. 
Geological Society, December 7.—Mr. Joseph Prestwich, 
F.R.S., president, in the chair.—r. * On Fossils from Cradock 
and elsewhere in South Africa.” By Dr. George Grey. From 
the Karoo-beds, Dicynodont fossils and the jaw of a reptile 
(Estheriz), and some coal and coal-plants (Zepidodendron, Sigil- 
daria, &c.), were the chief specimens noticed by the author. 
Some Stigmarie from the Old Coal of Lower Albany, and gravel 
and miscellaneous minerals from the diamond fields, formed 
part of the collection. 2. ‘*On some Points in South African 
Geology,” Part II. By Mr. G. W. Stow. This paper com- 
menced with a detailed account of the forest zones, coal, and 
other strata of the Karoo formation, as seen in sections in the 
Winterberg and Stormberg. The author particularly pointed 
out the position of the fern-beds at Dordrecht, of the Reptilian 
remains found on the Upper Zwartkei, and of the coal on the 
Klass Smits River. He next referred to the climatal changes of 
South Africa, as indicated by its geology and fossils, particularly 
the Karoo-beds, the Zo conglomerate, the Zvigonia-beds, the 
several Post Tertiary shell-beds, and especially the present sur- 
face conditions, which he regarded as due to ice-action, as evidence 
of which he adduces voches montonnées, moraines, basins, and 
striz, both north and south of the Stormberg, in British Kaffraria, 
and even in Lower Albany. He concluded with remarks on the 
probable succession of periods, and on the former existence of a 
great southern continent. Prof. Ramsay expressed a hope that 
the author at some future time would discuss the numerous sub- 
jects of which he treated at greater length and under separate 
heads. He was not surprised at the finding of Carboniferous 
plants in the Dicynodont beds which appeared to be of Triassic 
age, inasmuch as the same was the case to some extent in our 
own later beds of Oolitic date. He agreed in the view of the 
probability of a vast continent having formerly existed in the 
southern part of the world, and considered that the denudation of 
Southern Africa had been so great, that it was no wonder the 
boundaries of the old freshwater lakes were no longer easy to find. 
It was also by no means surprising to him that a recurrence of 
glacial phenomena should be found in Southern Africa, as it had 
been in Europe. He did not, however, think it necessary to call 
in the action of ice for the excavation of valleys such as some of 
those described, as rain and running water appeared to him suffi- 
ciently powerful for the purpose. At the same time he would 
not deny the possibility of ice having been the agent in these 
cases. Mr. R. Tate had seen evidence of similar effects being 
produced by aqueous force to those resulting from glacial action, 
and cited instances of moraine-like deposits having been formed by 
running streams in Central and Southern America. Mr. H. Wood- 
ward suggested that it would be desirable to wait fer further par- 
ticulars of the sections before asuming the actual association of 
the Lepidodendron and other plants. He added that the S¢ig- 
maria lately said to have been obtained from the Kimmeridge 
clay, had really come originally from Newcastle. Prof. T. Rupert 
Jones remarked that Mr. Stow, like other South African geolo- 
gists, had had ample experience of the effects of violent rain. 
With regard to the mixture of Palsozoic plants, such as the 
Lepidodendron, &c., sent by Dr. Grey with Paleozamia and 
Pecopteris, he thought it somewhat analogous to the mixture of 
palzozoic and mesozoic fossils in Australia. 3. ‘ On the Geology 
of Natal, in South Africa.” By Mr. C. L. Griesbach. The 
author commenced by describing the physical geography of 
Natal, and then indicated the characters and distribution of the 
rocks which occur in that country. He stated that the granitic 
and gneissic rocks do not form the most prominent elevations, 
but they appear chiefly in the lower parts of the river-valleys, 
and sometimes in small hills. Mica-schists and slates are found 
associated with the granites. The great plateaux consist of an 
undisturbed sandstone, which the author identifies with the 
Table-mountain sandstone, and which lies horizontally upon the 
granites and old slates. The tops of many of the table-mountains 
in Natal are crowned by beds of dark basaltic greenstone. The 
Karoo formation, which lies in part upon the Table-mountain 


sandstone, consists of a vast series of sandstones and shales, some 
ot the latter containing beds of coal. The author agreed with 
Mr. Tate in regarding these beds as of Triassicage. At the 
base of the Karoo formation the author described a boulder-bed, 
which he was inclined to identify with the rock described by Mr. 
Bain as ‘‘ Claystone porphyry,” and through this greenstone has 
forced its way. On and near the coast of the southern part of 
Natal, some sandy marls and sandstones belonging to the Cre- 
taceous series were said to occur; the author gave lists of fossils 
obtained from these deposits, which he identified with the Trichi- 
nopoly series of India. Several of the fossils were described as 
new species. The author considered that the evidence adduced 
indicated that, after the development of the Table-mountain sand- 
stone, Africa and India formed parts of one continuous continent, 
afterwards covered by the Cretacous sea. The area now covered 
by the Indian Ocean was the basin of a large series of lakes ; and 
this condition persisted through a long period of tranquillity, 
lasting through the Triassic to the Upper Jurassic age. The 
greater part of this continent was then depressed and coyered by 
the shallow Cretaceous sea. The economic mineral products of 
Natal were mentioned by the author, who referred to the oceur- 
rence of graphite, coal, gold, and copper. Prof. T. Rupert 
Jones commented on the importance of the paper as th-owing so 
complete a light on the geology of-Natal, and proving the geo- 
logical sequence to be similar there to that in other parts of 
Southern Africa. He remarked that the author had done special 
service by the great increase of information furnished by him 
regarding the Cretaceous rocks of Natal, and their equivalence 
to those of India. He also pointed out that Mr. Griesbach had 
proved that the Karoo formation was continuous to the other 
side of the great dividing range, and formed the floor of the 
Orange and Waal Valleys, and that as Mr. Stow had indicated 
glacial action on the south side of the Orange Valley, it was 
quite possible that the gravels containing the diamonds were of 
local origin, as Dr. Grey had suggested. 4. ‘‘On the Diamond- 
Districts of the Cape of Good Hope.” By Mr. G. Gilfillan, Mr, 
Gilfillan described his going through Colesberg to Hopetown, and 
thence across theOrange River to Backhouse ; and then, after cross- 
ing the Vaal, up its right bank as far as Lekatlong. He noticed 
such diamonds as he saw or heard of, and described the locality 
as being thickly coated with sand, diamond-bearing gravel, and 
tufa, hard blue shales occurring here and there in protruding 
hills. Prof. Tennant stated that he had lately seen as many as 
500 diamonds from the South African fields in the possession of 
one person, some weighing as much as 50 carats. He had seen 
another fragment of a stone which must have originally been at 
least as large as the Koh-i-noor, 
Ethnological Society, December 13.—Professor Huxley, 
president, in the chair. Mr. E. Rowley Morris was announced 
as anew member. Mr. Grove, Q.C., exhibited a dozen skulls 
from a large collection in the crypt of Rothwell Church, in 
Northamptonshire; and Professor Busk, F.R.S., made some 
remarks upon their anatomical peculiarities. The skulls are, on 
an average, smaller than those of the existing race, and many 
exhibit an extreme lowness of forehead. Some of them are 
referable to Prof. Huxley’s ‘‘river-bed” type. The discussion 
on these remarks was sustained by the President, Mr. Galton, 
and Mr. Evans.—Sir John Lubbock, Bart., read a paper ‘* On 
Stone Implements from Africa,” in which he described some 
implements of the spear-head type from the Cape of Good Hope, 
and some small polished celts brought by Mr. Reed from near 
Accra on the Gold Coast. He also exhibited a small, but ex- 
quisitely-worked flint implement found in Syria. Mr, A. W. 
Franks, Mr. W. Blackmore, Mr. E. B. Tylor, Mr. J. W. 
Flower, Mr. Hyde Clarke, and Mr. E. B. Pusey, took part in 
the discussion on Sir John Lubbock’s paper.—A collection of 
stone implements was exhibited by Dr. Hooker, C.B.—Some 
notes from Mr, Edgar Layard were read relative to some stone 
spear-heads, hammers, flakes, cores, &c., from South Africa — 
A second report ‘On the Present Condition of the Prehistoric 
Antiquities of Dartmoor,” was presented to the Society by Mr. 
C. Spence Bate, F.R.S. The author described in deta\l several 
stone circles, bee-hive huts, and avenues on the south of Dart- 
moor, especially in the neighbourhood of the Avon and the Erme. 
On Trowlsworthy Tor is a curious circular enclosure, with two 
entrances so constructed as to admit only a single man at a time, 
which the author regards as a specimen of early military engi- 
neering. 
Linnean Society, December 15.—Mr. Bentham, president, 
in the chair, Dr. J. Lindsay Stewart was elected a member of 
[ Dec. 22, 1870 

