270 Reports and Proceedings. 



almost entirely the remains of the Boulder-drift from the north- 

 west, as they were also from thence across the country, through the 

 Kelvin, Campsie, and Blane valleys, which he believed to have been 

 the ancient course of the Clyde from Carmyle to the eastern 

 portion of Loch Lomond, into which it flowed, and thence by the 

 Leven seawards ; the present course of the river from Carmyle 

 dov/nwards having been subsequently formed by the silting up 

 of the former, and its waters, when in flood, forcing a new outlet 

 for it. Mr. Skipsey believed the channel of the Firth, by which the 

 river flowed, after its junction with the Leven, traversed exclusively 

 the north shore, along the Cov/al coast, and reached the outer 

 waters through the Kyles of Bute, while the southern shores of the 

 present firth, embracing the whole of the present lowland range, 

 upwards to Paisley, Go wan, and to the centre of Glasgow itself, 

 had probably formed a succession of quiet estuaries — the great 

 profusion of Boreal shells suggesting to the author such a con- 

 clusion. 



Mr. John Donald Campbell gave a discourse on " Some Difficulties 

 in the Ordinary Theory of the Origin of Species," relating chiefly 

 to the distribution of species in time and space, and the relation of 

 species to each other. 



III. March 22nd. — ^Mr. James Farie exhibited a specimen of 

 " Wulfenite," or Molybdate of Lead, from the Lachantyre mine, near 

 Gatehouse, Kirkcudbrightshire; it is undoubtedly new to Scotland, 

 if not to Britain.^ Mr. Farie exhibited also, from the same mine, a 

 specimen of Vanadiate of Copper, which is new to Britain, and is in 

 recent works, such as Bristow's and Dana's, recorded as found only 

 in the Ural. 



IV. A communication was read from Mr. James Croll, " On the 

 reason why the change of Climate in Canada, since the Glacial 

 Epoch, has been less complete than in Scotland." 



Mr. Crosskey, in a paper- recently read before the Society, 

 entitled, '• The Eelationship between the Fossils of the Glacial 

 Beds of Canada and those of the Clyde," has shown that the 

 difference between the shells of the Glacial beds of Canada, and 

 those now existing in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, is far less marked 

 than the differences between the Glacial shells of the Clyde beds and 

 those now existing in the Firth; and therefore infers that the 

 change of climate in Canada, since the probable Glacial epoch, has 

 been far less complete than in Scotland, though the temperature at 

 that period, in both countries, was equally severe. Mr. Croll agrees 

 with Mr. Crosskey that there must have been a deflection of the 

 Gulf Stream from our coast during the Glacial epoch. To the stop- 

 page, or, at least, great reduction of the stream, was due the 

 cold of the Glacial epoch; and the consequent rise of temperature 

 due to its return, was probably the cause why the change of temper- 



^ See Geological Magazine, vol. ii. p. 575. 

 2 Geological Magazine, March, 1866, p. 135. 



