oli REPORTS OX THE STATE OF SCIENCE. 



The excavation showed that the beds do not rest on a llat surface 

 of Speeton clay, but that their surface dips into the cliff at an angle of 

 25 degrees, and that the bedding of the shelly deposit itself also dips into 

 the cliff at about the same angle. 



Shells occur throughout the silty beds, but are most plentiful in bed C. 

 When excavating, the shells seen were Cardiuni edule, Tellina halthica, 

 Scrnbicularia piperata, and Hydrohia. A quantity of the shelly material 

 was collected for washing, on which the Committee will report later. 



Search was made for the shell-bed at the same level both north and 

 south of the main excavation. Southwards no trace was observable, but 

 nortliwards the beds were traced fifty yards along the slopes of New 

 Closes Cliff, 



At the foot of the clifii about 500 yards northward of the site of the 

 excavations, similar shelly silts were laid bare during favoui-able conditions 

 of the foreshore early this year. In this exposure the beds attained a 

 thickness of 4 to .5 feet, and were traceable for at least 100 yards. The 

 silts rested on Kimeridge clay, and were overlain by glacial drifts which at 

 this locality are extremely thick. 



At the north end of this section tlie following particulars were 

 noted : — 



Feet inches 

 Boulder clay wiUi intercalated str.ntified ?and and gravel, not 



less than . , 120 



Fine chalky gvavel 2 o 



Silt with shells . , , , ;i 



Kimeridge claj' ....,.^,.40 



The thanks of the Conmiitteo are due to the Right Hon. the Earl of 

 Londesborough, for permission to investigate the shell-bed at Speeton, and 

 to Mr. C. C. Danford, of Reighton, for help in many ways. 



'Mp,x Genervm et Spfo'eriim AnimaUnm. — Ttepcid of the Committee, 

 conai.Hing of Dr. Henhy Woodward (Glimrm'an), Dr. F. A. 

 Batheu' (Secret, I ry). Dr. P. L. Sct.ater, Rev. T. B. R. Stebbing, 

 Dr. W. E. HoYLE. Hon. AValter Rothschild, and Lonl 

 Walsixoham. 



The indexing of the literature for the second portion of tlie Index 

 (1801-1850) has steadily progressed during the past year, but is 

 necessarily .slow, since the later in date is the l)ook the more com- 

 plicated becomes the synonymy of the nomenclature. Among the larger 

 works dealt with may be mentioned ' Allgemeine Schweizerische GeseU- 

 Rchaft,' 'American .Journal of Science,' ' Het Tnstituut,' 'Kon. Neder- 

 landsch Instituut,' ' Anales Ciencias Nat.,' Amyot's 'Rhynchota' (1848), 

 SJournal dcs Mines,' 'Annales des Sciences naturelles,' and numerous 

 individual volumes. 



The chief item of interest in bibliographical matters in the past year 

 was the discovery of a copy of the 'Museum Humfredianum,' 1779. 

 This had been searclied for by Mr. Sherborn for fifteen years. The copy 

 found, believed to be unique, has been presented by him to the British 

 Museum (Natural History). The value of tlie find is negative, in that 

 it proves that Ceorge Humphrey did not coin any generic narpe^ 



