FOUNDATION OF ZOOLOGICAL STATIONS. 47 



guess, and not of actual measurement. The incisor from the Cavern (doubt- 

 less that discovered and described by MacEnery) figured by Professor Owen 

 in his ' History of Eritish Fossil Slammals, &c. ' * very nearly corresponds 

 in size with its homologue just found. The new specimen is slightly longer 

 in the crown, and somewhat thicker in the fang. 



The Committee cannot but feel that their thanks, as well as those of all 

 palaeontologists, are due to the Committee of the Geological Section for having, 

 year after year from 1864 inclusive, cordially applied for a grant from the 

 funds of the Association for the exploration of the Cavern, to the Committee 

 of Recommendations for having recommended the successive applications, and 

 to the General Committee for having annually voted the sums applied for. 

 One of the hopes of the Cavern Committee, in commencing their researches, 

 was that they might find some traces of Machairodus. This they have never 

 abandoned, though year after year passed away without success ; and they 

 cannot but express their gratitude to the body whose patience and liberality 

 has enabled them to continue their labours until this \\o-^e was realized. The 

 greater part of this Report vras written before the discovery was made ; and 

 had the work ceased on July 28, 1872, those who always declined to believe 

 that Machairodus had ever been found in Kent's Cavern, would have been 

 enabled to urge, as an additional argument, the fact that the consecutive, 

 systematic, and careful daily labours of 7 years and 4 months had failed to 

 show that their scepticism was unreasonable. This great accumulation of 

 negative evidence has been for ever set aside, and all doubt of Mr. MacEnery's 

 accuracy for ever removed, by the discovery the Committee have now had the 

 pleasure to announce. 



They can now announce also that Machairodus latidens and man were con- 

 temporaries in Britain ; for even if, notwithstanding the great array of facts 

 to the contrary, the former should prove to have belonged to the era of the 

 Breccia, and not to that later time represented by the Cave-earth, the two 

 flint implements found in the Breccia, to which attention was called in a 

 previous part of this Report, as well as that produced and described at Exeter 

 in 1869, take man back to that earlier period also. 



Report of the Committee appointed for the purpose of promoting the 

 Foundation of Zoological Stations in different parts of the World. 



The Committee beg leave to report that, as stated in the Report of last year, 

 the Zoological Station of Naples will be ready and in working order in the 

 beginning of January 1873, the progress of the construction being such as to 

 enable Dr. Dohrn to make this assertion. 



This undertaking has received much official and private assistance, not only 

 from public authorities, but in a very high degree from private persons. The 

 Committee have much pleasure in acknowledging especially the extraordinary 

 services rendered by Mr. W. A. Lloyd, of the Crystal-Palace Aquarium, in giving 

 every assistance to Dr. Dohrn, as far as technical difficulties are concerned. 



Special care has been taken to secure donations to the future library of the 

 Station. The eminent firm of Engelmann, in Leipzig, has presented all its works 

 on Biology not previously possessed by Dr. Dohrn. Vieweg, in Brunswick, has 

 also sent all his publications on Biology. Theodore Fischer, in Cassel, has done 



* A History of British Fossil Mammals and Birds. By Eichard Owen, F.R.S., F.G.S., 

 (1846), p. 182, fig. 70. 



