Beports and Proceedings. 231 



quadrupeds now extinct, and the River Somme must have been much 

 larger than at present, and must have spread its waters over a wide 

 plain, in which the St. Aclieul gravel constituted a bank or point, 

 inundated in times of flood, and perhaps resorted to by the aborigines 

 as a place for making canoes. 



4. Before either of the two theories above stated can be finally 

 accepted, much more thorough investigations must be made, and 

 also careful topographical surveys of the whole district. In the 

 event of the view last mentioned being sustained, the question of 

 absolute time required will still be difficult to determine, since the 

 causes of erosion and deposition in operation at the period in question 

 must have been very dissimilar from those_ now in action ; and other 

 unknown causes, whether sudden or gradual in their operation, must 

 have intervened to produce the present state of the country. In this 

 case, however, there would be a strong probability that the BMno- 

 ceros tiehorliinus and the Mammoth, had continued to exist in Europe 

 down to the period of the implement-makers. 



It is much to be desired that a series of systematic excavations in 

 these gravels, and a geological and topographical survey of the whole 

 basin of the Somme should be undertaken by some scientific body in 

 Trance or England, as it may require many years to enable individual 

 explorers to obtain the data required to settle the questions that have 

 been raised in connection with these deposits. — Montreal Gazette, 

 December 20, 1865. 



II. — A meeting of this Society took place at its Rooms, on 

 Monday evening last, January 29th, the President (Dr. Smallwood) 

 in the chair. Among other communications, Mr. H. G. Vennor 

 read a paper on the Manitoulin Islands. He commenced by 

 giving a topographical account of the great Manitoulin Island, 

 and described the best mode of access to the group. He next 

 gave a brief sketch of some of the geological features of the 

 island, and exhibited some of the silicified fossils of the Clinton 

 group from the neighbourhood of Manitou lake, also photo- 

 graphs of glacial groovings and scratchings on rocks on the south 

 shore of the island. Indications of petroleum were met with at 

 Wequemakong, and allusions were made to the boring for oil at this 

 spot by the great Manitoulin Oil Company. The oil from this 

 locality, the lecturer remarked, was of the finest kind. , He stated 

 that the bald eagle and fish-hawk were numerous in the interior 

 lakes, that ravens were abundant on the island, that both the spruce 

 partridge and the ruffed grouse were plentiful, and that wild 

 pigeons were often seen there in immense flocks. In conclusion he 

 remarked that two -thirds of the area of the great Manitoulin Island 

 consisted of fertile land plentifully covered A^'ith trees, and that the 

 remainder was of a barren and rocky character. A list of the birds 

 observed on the islands accompanied the paper. — Montreal Gazette, 

 February 1, 1866. 



HI. — February 8th. — The first lecture of the Somerville course 



