336 Obituary—Rev. R. B. Watson, B.A., F.R.S.E. 



Another point concerns the status of the Tertiary igneous rocks of 

 the Western Isles of Scotland. Messrs. Dewey & Flett consider that 

 they belong to the Atlantic branch (p. 242), but advance no reasons 

 lor that view, which is, of course, in flat contradiction to that of 

 Mr. Harker. ISTo comment need be made save that it requires more 

 than a mere ipse dixit to reverse Mr. Harker's opinion as to their 

 Pacific relationships expressed in his Tertian/ Igneous Rocks of Shje 

 (1904), p. 417 (although the actual term Pacific is not here used), and 

 later in the Natural History of Igneous Roclcs (1909), pp. 99, 108. 



G. W. Tyrrell. 

 Geological Department, 

 University of Glasgow. 

 June 8, 1911. 



OBITUAET. 



REV. ROBERT BOOG WATSON, B.A., F.R.S.E. 

 Born 1824 (?). Died June, 1910. 



We learn from the address of Professor Watts to the Geological 

 Society, 1911, of the death last year of the Rev. R. Boog Watson. 

 His most important geological paper, " On the Great Drift Beds with 

 Shells in the South of Arran," was published in 1864 (Trans. Roy. 

 Soc. Edin., xxiii). His observations led him to conclude that all the 

 latest geological changes have not materially affected the relations of 

 hill and valley ; that the valleys were largely excavated by ice ; that 

 the ice covered the land until it was submerged ; and that the 

 depression of the land below the sea was continuous, and ultimately 

 attained 1,000 feet at least. Another paper, " On the Marine Origin 

 of the Parallel Roads of Glen Roy," was published only in abstract 

 (Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc, xxii, p. 9, 1865). 



Mr. Yernon Austin. — We regret to record the death on June 9, 

 in his 70th year, of Mr. Vernon Austin, son of the late Mr. Stephen 

 Austin, and the last of that name to represent the highly respected 

 firm of Stephen Austin and Sons, Printers, Hertford (established for 

 more than 100 years), who have printed the Geological Magazine 

 since December, 1865, a period of forty-five years. The firm is now 

 carried on as Stephen Austin and Sons, Limited, Printers, Hertford. 



MISCELLAISTEOUS. 



The President of the Board of Education has appointed Mr. H. H. 

 Thomas to succeed Dr. J. S. Elett as Petrographer to the Geological 

 Survey of Great Britain. 



Royal Society Conversazione. — Among objects of geological 

 interest displayed at the conversazione ou May 10 were — (1) Footprints 

 from the Permian sandstones at Poltimore, Devon, exhibited by 

 Principal A. W. Clayden. They bear a general resemblance to those 

 obtained at Corncockle Moor and Penrith, though differing in detail. 

 (2) Skeleton of Ornithodesmus latidens, a Pterodactyl from the Wealden 

 shales of Atherfield, Isle of Wight, exhibited by Mr. R. W. Hooley. 



