472 Reports and Proceedings, 



ings and complete descriptions of the leaves before the air and light 

 have in any way injiured them. 



After a fortnight, bad weather put a stop to our work. We had, 

 however, succeeded in obtaining a good collection, numbering alto- 

 gether some 470 specimens. The leaves are, on the whole, well 

 preserved, but the bed in one part yielded forms so indistinctly 

 marked as to be almost worthless. 



I decline to attempt to fix the number of new species, or even 

 genera, we are able to add to the list in the Survey Memoir, for not 

 only is the determination of fossil leaves at all times very unsatisfac- 

 tory, but that list was not intended for a monograph, and has neither 

 drawings (except a few) nor the exactness of description requisite for 

 identification. Then, too, the nomenclature of fossil leaves is very 

 unsatisfactory, the same fragment of a leaf having often half-a-dozen 

 different names. 



With regard to the species of fossil leaves, I believe the word 

 "form" might often with advantage be used where "species" is now 

 universally employed. " Species " is applicable only to the entire 

 plant; " form " is applicable to individual leaves. When we con- 

 sider the variation in leaves often met with growing on the same 

 tree, I think we see reason for gTeat caution in determining what 

 "forms " represent the existence of distinct "species." 



Dr. Mitchell exhibited photographs and drawings of some of the 

 larger and more striking leaves. Among them we noticed some fine 

 compound leaves formerly only supposed to occur from isolated 

 leaflets found; also some fine Ar alias, Dryandras [or 7lf?/n'cas], 

 Taxites. Ficus, Laurus, etc., and two curious forms supposed to be 

 cones, with other new leaves. Professor Eamsay asked if any of 

 these were identical with the remains found at Bovey Tracey. Dr, 

 Mitchell replied that certainly some were, but the majority were not. 



In conclusion Professor Eamsay said he wished to point out a moral. 

 We have here from the Eocene of Alum Bay, some forms identical 

 with those from the Miocene of Bovey Tracey. This should be a 

 caution not to consider beds to be of identical age merely from the 

 identity of a few of their fossils. 



Warwickshire Naturalists' Field-club. — The third meeting 

 was held at Bredon Hill, in Worcestershire, on the 10th of August. 

 Arri^dng by early train at Ashton-under-hill, where this club joined 

 the Worcestershire Field-club, the party gradually ascended the hill 

 and stopped for a little time to examine some Lias Marlstone quarries, 

 abounding in fossils, though not in a good state of preservation. Here, 

 at the request of the Vice-President of the Worcestershire Club, the 

 Eev. P. B. Brodie delivered a short address on the Geology of the 

 district, which presents many features of geological interest, com- 

 mencing with the Great Oolite, of the more distant Cottswold chain 

 of hills, to the Lower and very ancient Oleni shales on the south- 

 west flank of the Malverns. This includes a wide extent of 

 geological formations of different ages, and each characterised by 

 peculiar and distinctive fossils. The faulted condition of the Inferior 



