Beports and Proceedings — Geological Society of London. 233 



3. " Plant-containing jS'odules from Japan, considered structurally 

 in their relation to the ' Coal-Balls ' and ' Roof -Nodules ' of the 

 European Carboniferous." By Marie C. Stopes, D.Sc, Ph.D. 

 (Communicated by Professor E. J. Garwood, M.A., Sec, G. S.) 



These nodules are of interest because of the plant and animal 

 fossils that they contain. The plant-petrifactions are of a type 

 vinknown from the Mesozoic, and will be described separately. The 

 nodules are of Cretaceous age. They enclose numerous marine 

 shells and various plant - remains, well petrified. Unlike the 

 ' coal -balls ' and ' roof- nodules ', they are not contained in coal- 

 seams or in the roof thereof, but occur in a thick series of shales 

 below the coals, which appear to be of Tertiary age. The microscopic 

 aspect of the matrix shows that it is highly granular, unlike the 

 matrix of coal-balls and roof-nodules. Chemically they consist of 

 about 60 per cent, of carbonates, both lime and magnesia being 

 present, with 30 per cent, of silicates ; the large pi'oportion of 

 silicates is an important point of difference from the Carboniferous 

 nodules. In having numerous plant - fragments in a single nodule 

 and in the type of petrifaction the nodules are like coal-balls ; in 

 having marine shells included in the matrix they are more like roof- 

 nodules. They probably represent fragments of tangled debris, 

 which drifted out to sea but a short distance and then were speedily 

 petrified. The authoress acknowledges help from the Government 

 Grant Committee of the Royal Society in carrying out the research, 

 and also from the Japanese Government, the Imperial University, 

 and the local Government of Hokkaido, together with the Tunko 

 "Kaisha of Hokkaido. 



2.— March 10, 1909.— Professor W. J. Sollas, LL.D., Sc.D., F.R.S., 

 President, in the Chair. 



The following communications were read : — 



1, " Some Notes on the Neighbourhood of the Victoria Falls, 

 (Rhodesia)." By Thomas Codrington, M. Inst.C. E., F.G.S. 



The author gives an account of the way in which the basalt lies 

 in the valley of the Zambesi below and above the Victoria Falls, 

 and points out how that has determined the features of the river. 

 The basalt through which the Batoka Gorge has been cut appears 

 in the course of the Zambesi for 2 miles above the Victoria Falls, 

 causing rapids over rocky bars between many islands. It then 

 . disappeai-s, and the river above flows quietly between alluvial flats 

 for 5 miles, the basalt being traceable here and there below the 

 water until above Candahar Island it again rises and constitutes the 

 bed of the river from bank to bank, causing rapids that extend for 

 many miles up the river. Attention is called to a wide tributary 

 valley which joins the main Zambesi Valley on the east at the Falls ; 

 and to the Maramba River flowing down it, and its fluviatile 

 deposits. The discovery of stone implements and artificially worked 

 stones in the travel and the bed of the Maramba is noted. 



