Reports and Proceedings — Geological Society of London. 373 



Libraries, local Geological Societies, and Naturalists' Field-Clubs 

 have risen into being, but the number of these institutions that 

 have joined the Societ3'^ is very small. 



Cannot the lovers of geological science be induced to combine and 

 replenish the void places caused, to so large an extent of late years, 

 by the hand of death in the once long list of membei'S of this useful 

 and important Society, whose work cannot be said to be fulfilled so 

 long as any British fossils remain unfigured and undescribed ? 



II. — Geological Society of London. 



June 23, 1887.— Professor J. W. Judd, F.E.S., President, in the 

 Chair. — The following communications were read : — 



1. " On Nepheline Eocks in Brazil, with special Keference to the 

 Association of Phonolite and Foyaite." By Orville A. Derby, Esq., 

 F.G.S. 



The author refers to the phonolites and associated basalts of 

 Fernando Noronha, a deep-sea island off the north-eastern shoulder 

 of the Continent of South America. Nepheline rocks of a somewhat 

 different character are abundantly developed on the mainland, and 

 under conditions favourable for throwing light on the relations 

 existing between the granitic, type, foyaite, and the other members 

 of the group. There are some mountains near Eio de Janeiro 

 composed of these rocks, as is also the peak of Itatiaia, 3000 metres 

 high, the loftiest mountain of eastern South America. A cursory 

 examination of some of these localities having shown an apparent 

 relation between foyaite, phonolite, trachyte and certain types of 

 basalt, Mr. Derby determined to visit the Caldas region, where a 

 railway under construction gave unusual facilities for examining 

 this series. A fine development of foyaite, phonolite and tuff was 

 found, associated with several types that have not yet been met 

 with in the other localities. The existence of a leucite basalt was 

 recognized. 



The bulk of the paper was devoted to a detailed description of these 

 railway-sections, and the following deductions are drawn : — 



1. The substantial identity, as regards mode of occurrence and 

 geological age, of the Caldas phonolites and foyaites. 



2. The connexion of the latter through the phonolites with a 

 typical volcanic series containing both deep-seated and aerial types 

 of deposits. 



3. The equal, if not greater antiquity of the leucite rocks as 

 compared with the nepheline rocks, whether felsitic, as phonolite, or 

 granitic as foyaite. 



4. The probable Paleozoic age of the whole eruptive series. 



2. " Notes on the Metamorphic Eocks of South Devon." By Miss 

 Catherine A. Eaisin, B.Sc. Communicated by Prof. T. G. Bonney, 

 D.Sc, LL.D., F.E.S., F.G.S. 



This communication consisted mainly of detailed observations, 

 supplementary to those published by Prof. Bonney in the Society's 

 Journal for 1884, on the slaty and metamorphic rocks of South 



