82 Mr J. FE. Marr, On Homotazis. [Feb, 14, 
of the rocks of different areas. In the cases where the similarity 
of organic contents of two sets of deposits “is demonstrably com- 
patible with the lapse of the most prodigious intervals of time, and 
with interposition of vast changes in the organic and inorganic 
worlds, between the epochs in which such deposits were formed,” 
the geologist would have no temptation to try the correlation of 
those deposits, as they would form small portions of similar deposits 
containing the same organisms throughout, and would be found to 
die out rapidly when traced horizontally. 
My purpose in bringing forward this paper is to urge the 
students of the University to accumulate details in order to test 
further the views I hold as to synchronism. A few years ago, the 
very deposits I have been using chiefly by way of illustration were 
cited as instances of the danger of drawing conclusions as to con- 
temporaneity. Now, as Prof. Lapworth says (Geological Distribu- 
tion of the Rhabdophora), ‘the host of proofs supposed to be 
afforded by the abnormalities of the vertical distribution of the 
Graptolithina, in favour of the doctrines of migration and colonies, 
vanish into thin air. These apparent evidences are now seen to 
have been fallacious appearances, due simply to defective know- 
ledge.” But many difficulties still remain. I have not alluded to 
the many conflicting evidences between terrestrial faunas and 
floras and marine faunas, cited by Dr Blanford in his presidential 
address to section C. of the British Association at Montreal, nor to 
the occurrence of an intermixture of Permian and Lower Carboni- 
ferous marine organisms in Spitzbergen which are stated to be 
below beds of Coal measure age (cf. Nordenskjold, Geol. Mag. 1876 
not because I have ignored them, but because I believe that we 
should suspend our judgment until further information has been 
obtained concerning them, Admitting that the supposed ad- 
mixture is not due to errors in the interpretation of the strati- 
graphy in the different cases, they do not outweigh the great 
amount of cumulative evidence in favour of correlation of beds in 
widely remote areas; nevertheless, still more evidence must be 
gathered not only to convince those who have not made a special 
study of the geological distribution of organisms, but also in order 
to determine the laws which govern that distribution, and every 
discovery of new facts is a distinct step toward this important end. 
(3) Note on the functions of the secreting hairs found upon the 
nodes of young stems of Thunbergia lawrifolia. By WALTER 
GARDINER, M.A, 
In a paper by W. Gardiner and R. I. Lynch, read before the 
Society on Nov. 10, 1884, special attention was drawn to the cup- 
shaped secretory hairs of Thunbergia laurifolia. The secretion 
