Prof. E. Hull—Continental Lands and Oceans. 113 
these Serpents were of marine habits; and the occurrences of 
closely allied, if not generically identical, forms on both sides of 
the Atlantic tends to confirm this view. In addition, therefore, to 
the osteological differences between Palcophis and the Pythonide, 
we have in all probability to add the difference of marine against 
terrestrial habits; and these two differences appear to me to leave 
little doubt as to the right of the former genus to represent a 
distinct family type—the Palgophide. There is, unfortunately, no 
skeleton of Hydrophis accessible to me for comparison with Palo- 
phis, but since M. Rochebrune states that the vertebrae of the former 
are widely different from those of the latter, I think, for the present 
at any rate, it will be advisable to retain the Palgophide among the 
true Colubriformes, where they may be placed after the Pythonide 
and allied families. 
In conclusion I may observe that figures of some of the specimens 
I have here mentioned will be given in the British Museum Catalogue 
of Fossil Reptilia and Amphibia, where attention will be somewhat 
more fully directed to the question of the specific identity of some 
of the forms to which I have alluded. 
V.—On tHe Erreot or ContinentaL LANDS IN ALTERING THE 
LEVEL OF THE ADJOINING OcEans.! 
By Professor Epwarp Hutt, LL.D., F.R.S., 
Director of the Geological Survey of Ireland. 
HE effect of the attraction of continental land upon the oceanic 
waters adjoining seems to have been very much overlooked by 
British physical geographers. That some slight effect arises in the 
direction of elevating the surface of the ocean in proximity to the 
coast is generally admitted, but the amount of rise is considered to 
be small, perhaps insignificant. The prevalence of these views was 
attributed by the author to the widespread influence of Lyell’s 
hypothesis of the uniformity of the ocean-surface all over the globe. 
The author’s attention had been called to the subject by the 
perusal of the works of the German geographers Suess’ and 
Fischer,’ especially the latter; and he had received great assistance 
in his investigations from Professor G. G. Stokes, M.P., Pres.R.S., 
and from the Rev. Maxwell H. Close, F.G.S., which assistance he 
gratefully acknowledged. 
In attempting to determine the relative levels of the ocean-surface 
along the margins of continents as compared with those of mid- 
oceanic islands, the German authors above quoted had based their 
results on observations of the length of the second’s pendulum. 
Many years ago (1849) Stokes had shown that the force of gravity 
must be greater in such islands than on continental stations,‘ and 
1 The paper will probably be published im extenso in the Scientific Transactions of 
the Royal Dublin Society (1888). 
2 Suess, Das Antlitz der Erde (1887). 
3 Fischer, Untersuchungen tiber die Gestalt der Erde (1886). 
4 Stokes, Cambridge Philosophical Transactions, vol. viii. pp. 672-695. 
DECADE III.—YOL. V.—NO. UII, 8 
