TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION D. 723 



rather difficult to answer. As far as tliey knew, volcanoes were only found on 

 areas ot elevation, but they might be found ou areas of subsidence; but, as 

 Darwin had pointed out, the evidence of the subsidence sank beneath the 

 sea and out of sight. Iq regions he had investigated the land was slowly 

 but certainly being elevated. As to the thickness of the limestone there was 

 a very great thickness below the upraised reefs, but upon that point they re- 

 quired further information. Mr. Poulton had alluded to the explanation he gave 

 about the formation of the reefs. The difficulty they had to contend with was 

 that in addition to atolls they found coral islands without the centre lagoon. In 

 the second place they must suppose that in some cases the reef had come to the 

 surface as a sohd rock and gradually grown outwards where the submarine peak 

 is laroer and in the submarine table-lands when the reef before it reaches the sur- 

 face has the form of an atoll. Mr. Harmer had asked if it was probable that the 

 corals would grow more rapidly and better upon the rim of a submarine table-land 

 than in the centre. The evidence which Mr. Bourne had brought forward tended 

 to show that where there was a rush of water corals would grow much more 

 favourably. lu the Tizard Bank and the banks in the China seas the rims were 

 to be found covered with a luxuriant growth of coral, and in the centre there was 

 none. Kegarding Professor Seeley's remarks he (Dr. Ilickson) was sorry if he 

 did not make himself quite clear in'his opening words. He did not intend to say 

 that he hoped he should convert anyone to his views, and he believed he said dis- 

 tinctly that his object would be to elicit the truth, and that, although he could not 

 help his own views being e\-ident, he did not wish to try to convert anybody to 

 them. He protested against Professor Seeley's suggestion that he had only given 

 them the text-book ideas of Darwin's theory. He had carefully considered the 

 subject from everv source, and he had given what he thought a fair statement in 

 a short time of Mr. Darwin's views. Professor Seeley also said^that tlie new views 

 did not seem to give the connection between the geological evidence of coral reefs 

 and the processes actuallv going on. He maintained that the new views did this, 

 whilst Darwin's views did not. Mr. Darwin most distinctly stated that coral reefs 

 only grew on coral peaks, and here we now have examples to the contrary which 

 are consistent with Mr. Murray's theory and not with the Darwinian. The sug- 

 gestion which Dr. Evans had made respecting the action of rain-water was very 

 valuable. In reference to the remarks made by the President of Section 0, he 

 would observe that his reason for suggesting this discussion was because Darwin's 

 most eminent pupils would not admit that coral reefs had been formed in any 

 other way than that suggested by Darwin. His most eminent disciple distinctly 

 stated in his reply to Mr. Murray's views that the Darwinian theory remained 

 true of all these atolls— in other words, that where you find an atoll and barrier 

 reef you have ipso facto a proof of subsidence. It seemed to him that recent re- 

 searches tended to show that the presence of the two did not form proof of sub- 

 sidence. They might have been formed by subsidence, but thpy might also have 

 been formed in another way. It was because Mr. Darwin's eminent pupil would 

 not concede the point which Mr. Dawkins did that he asked for this discussion. 

 There were two points on which Mr. Darwin was wrong, first, in supposing that 

 all the atolls and barrier reefs were formed by subsidence and in that way only ; 

 and thus the map which he gave showing areas of elevation and depression 

 would need modification. He did not mean to say that they would need to wipe 

 out all the blue and substitute red, but there were certain parts marked blue which 

 must be in future marked red. The second point was that coral reefs do not only 

 grow upon volcanic peaks, but that they may grow upon foraminiferous shells. 



2. Second Report of the Committee on the Physiology of the Lymphatic 

 System.— See Reports, p. 363. 



Contributions to the Anatomy of the TuhificidcB. 

 ' By F. E. Beddakd, M.A., F.Z.S. 



3 A 2 



