222 Reports and Proceedings. 



Geological Society of London. — I. March 21, 1866. — Waring- 

 ton W. Smytli, Esq., President, in the Chair. The following com- 

 , mvmications were read : — 1. " On the Fossil British Oxen. — Part I. 

 ' Bos Urus, Ceesar." By W. Boyd Dawkins, Esq., M.A., E.G.S. 



The problem of the origin of our domestic races of cattle was 

 considered by the author to be capable of solution only after a care- 

 ful examination of each of the three European fossil species of 

 Oxen, namely, Bos Urus of C^sar, B. longifrons of Owen, and B, 

 hison of Pliny. In this paper he began the inquiry with Bos Urus, 

 Csesax, being the Bos primigeniiis of Bojanus, and he arrived at the 

 conclusion, that between this species and Bos Taurus, or the common 

 Ox, there is no difference of specific value, though the difference in 

 size and some other characters of minor value render the bones of 

 the two varieties capable of recognition. After giving the syno- 

 nymy of Bos Urus in some detail, and measurements of the different 

 bones as represented by specimens from a number of localities, Mr. 

 Boyd Dawkins described the range of the species in space and time, 

 showing that it coexisted in Britain with the Mammoth, BMnoceros 

 leptorJiinus, B. megarJiinus and B. ticliorhinus, and was associated with 

 Elephas antiquus, Felis spelcea, Ursus siyelceus, U. arctos, Bos priscus, 

 Megaceros Hibernicus, Cervus elapJius, C. tarandus, Eqitus fossilis, etc., 

 and held its ground during the Prehistoric period, after most of these 

 animals had become extinct or retreated from this country. The 

 precise date of its extinction in Britain was stated to be somewhat 

 uncertain, although the author inclined to the belief that it existed 

 in the wild state as late as the middle of the 12th century ; while 

 on the continent it seems probable that it lingered until the 16th 

 century. The author then endeavoured to explain its gradual dimi- 

 nution ia size by the progTessive encroachment of cultivation on its 

 old haunts ; and in conclusion, stated his belief that at least the 

 larger cattle of Western Europe are the descendants of the Bos Urus, 

 modified in many respects by restricted range, but still more by the 

 domination of man. 



2. '' Further documents relating to the formation of a new island 

 in the neighbourhood of the Kameni Islands." By Commander 

 G. Tryon. Communicated by the Lords Commissioners of the 

 Admiralty. 



A detailed account was here given of the formation of the new 

 island, named "Aphroessa" by the G-reek Commissioners; it was 

 stated to be 100 yards long by 50 wide, and to be daily increasing 

 in size. Volcanic eruptions had taken place in two localities, one 

 in the new island, and the other in what was called Mineral Creek, 

 which is about two-fifths of a mile distant, and which had been 

 completely filled up with lava. Considerable concussions were ex- 

 perienced at Patras and other parts of Greece, which were by 

 some attributed to an earthquake, and by others to volcanic ex- 



