Notices of Memoirs. 421 



VII. — Distribution of Vertebrate Animals in India, Ceylon, 

 AND BuRMAH. — Dr. Blanfoi'd, writing in the Pioc. Roy. Soc, Ixvii, 

 considers that whilst it is quite possible that other explanations may 

 be found, it is evident that the peculiarities of the Indian fauna may 

 have been due to the Glacial epoch. During the coldest portion of 

 the Glacial epoch a large part of the higher mountains must have 

 been covered by snow and ice, and the tropical Oriental fauna which 

 occupied the Himalayas, and which may have resembled that of the 

 Indian Peninsula more than is the case at present, must have been 

 driven to the base of the mountains or exterminated. When the 

 country became warmer, the Transgangetic fauna appears to have 

 poured into the Himalayas from the eastward. Dr. Blanfoi'd, after 

 discussing the whole matter, says the theory is only put forward as 

 a possible explanation of some remarkable features in the distribution 

 of Indian vertebrates. At the same time it does not serve to account 

 for several anomalies of which some solution is necessary. If thus 

 accepted, it will add to the evidence, now considerable, in favour of 

 the Glacial epoch having affected the whole world, and not having 

 been a partial phenomenon induced by special conditions, such as 

 local elevation. 



VIII. — Spherical Concretions of Graphite. — The sphserical 

 concretions of graphite in the Granite of the Ilraenj were first 

 noticed by Auerbach in 1856, and afterwards described by Rose in 

 1872. Messrs. Vernadsky and Scliklarevsky now show (Bull. Soc. 

 Imp. Nat. Moscou, 1900, No. 3) that the inclusions in these con- 

 cretions consist of crystals of the minerals characteristic of the 

 Granite — orthoclase, muscovite, biotite, and quartz. The result of 

 their investigations also show that this form of graphite cannot have 

 had a pseudomorphic origin, as considered by Rose, but ought to be 

 considered as a concretion in a granitic magma, analogous to other 

 cases of large sphasroidal inclusions in granite. 



IX. — Geology of Scotland. — The Geological Society of Glasgow 

 has recently distributed vol. xi, pt. 2, of their Transactions for 

 1897-99, but has dated it 1900. We had hoped that this 

 reprehensible practice had been discontinued in this country, and 

 hope that on the next occasion the Society issues publications it will 

 date them accurately. There is a great deal of interesting matter, 

 of which the following is the chief. The late Dr. Heddle's paper 

 on the structure of Agates occupies twenty pages, and is well 

 illustrated ; it may be termed a systematic treatment of the subject. 

 Each form is described in detail, and the whole are grouped in 

 a convenient arrangement according to structure. William Gunn 

 gives a detailed description of the old volcanic rocks of Arran, with 

 notes on the sedimentary rocks associated with them, and an 

 account of the faunae of those beds. Robert Craig writes of the 

 Greenhill quarries, Kilmaurs, Ayrshire, now closed, and gives an 

 historical sketch of the various discoveries made in them. Peter 

 Macnair treats of the physical geology and palaeontology of the 

 Giffuock sandstones, and their bearings on the origin of sandstone 



