C. Davison — The Comrie Earthquake. 75 



having been any branches beyond IIIBr, or at least beyond IVBr. 

 The branches seem to have diverged at rather a wide angle. 



The most remarkable feature of the arms are the structures that 

 seem to spring from the side of the brachials, and somewhat 

 resemble pinnules (see enlarged figure b). The only known 

 structures with which they can be compared are either pinnules 

 or covering-plates. But they are not pinnules ; for they are more 

 numerous than the brachials, and are not regularly disposed with 

 regard to them. And they are not covering-plates ; for in that case 

 the covering-plates would be wider than the arm, which is im- 

 possible. In the actual specimen they present the appearance of 

 fluted impressions, the flutings being parallel to one another, and 

 inclined upwards at rather less than a right angle to the arm. 

 About two flutings go to a brachial. It is impossible to tell whether 

 the elements represented by the flutings were separate from one 

 another, or fixed by their adjacent sides. Neither is it certain 

 whether the element represented by each fluting was in one piece, 

 or composed of a series of ossicles, as would be the case with a 

 pinnule. In fine, they are mysterious structures, and I don't 

 understand them. 



Of the Stem, the proximal 2 mm. are preserved. It consists of 

 low ossicles, alternating in height, and the higher ones projecting 

 slightly beyond the others. The width where it joins the cup is 

 1*5 mm., and thence it tapers slightly distalwards. 



The crushed state of preservation and imperfection of the speci- 

 men prevent one from referring it to any known genus, and still 

 more from founding a new genus for its reception. But the peculiar 

 and novel features that it presents have led me to publish this 

 description. 



Wax squeezes of these specimens are preserved in the Geological 

 Department of the British Museum (Nat. Hist.), where any student 

 can see them on application ; they are registered E 6484 and 

 E 6485, respectively. 



VII. — On the Comrie Earthquake of July 12, 1895, and on the 

 Hade of the Southehn Border Fault of the Highlands. 



By Charles Davison, M.A., F.G.S. ; 

 Mathematical Master at King Edward's High School, Birmingham. 



IN Mallet's great "Catalogue of Eecorded Earthquakes," the 

 name of Comrie first appears under the date September 2, 

 1789, and, from that time until the present day, the village has 

 been widely known as a centre of earthquake shocks and sounds. 

 For many yeai-s past, however, they have become more and more 

 rare : the shocks, when they have occurred, have been exceedingly 

 slight, and the disturbed areas correspondingly small. Several 

 persons living but a few miles from Comrie inform me that they 

 have never felt a shock ; and those who reside in the village itself 

 often speak of " hearing" the earthquakes, as if the vibrations did 

 not generally exceed that limiting degree when they are perceptible 

 only to the ear. 



