Meetings of the Scientific Association of Great Britain. 715 
2. The organic remains, hitherto discovered, are nearly all, with 
the exception of one or two species, peculiar to this continent. 
3. The existence of great quantities of lignite, of the remains of 
scolopax, a shore bird, and the position of these beds in New Jer- 
sey contiguous to the primary boundary of ancient coast, all indicate 
that these beds were deposited in a comparatively shallow sea, anal- 
ogous in position to the present extensive line of soundings which 
skirt the coast. The obvious shallowness of the portion of the 
secondary ocean where these beds were formed, may, perhaps, help 
to explain the remarkable discordance alluded to, between the Amer- 
ican and European marine species of this period. 
4. The calcareous masses of Alabama, at least the upper beds, 
are possibly different in age from the marls and arenaceous beds of 
New Jersey. | 
5. The marl] formation of New Jersey is, perhaps, most nearly 
represented by the European green sands. ‘The limestone deposits 
in the south, on the other hand, resemble more the upper members 
of the cretaceous group, for example, the formation of the plateau of 
Mestricht. 
6. Thus far, there is no evidence of the existence of true chalk 
in North America. Genuine flints have not yet been found in any 
bed. 
_7. Volcanic forces, during this period, seem to have been nearly 
dormant, which may perhaps assist in accounting for the absence of 
the chalk. 
8. The want of coincidence, both in organic remains, and mineral 
character, between these beds, and the cretaceous group of Europe, 
the difficulty of deciding their identity at present, from a want of a 
sufficient knowledge of the structure and superposition of our forma- 
tion; and above all, the importance of preserving our geology, free 
from the shackles of a nomenclature, originally adapted to another 
continent, render it desirable that we reject the terms in use, and 
appropriate to this group of formations a name, which shall be inde- 
pendent of old associations, and yet express their position, in the ge- 
ological series. Mr. Lyell, expressed the high opinion he enter- 
tained of the labors and theoretical views of Professor Rogers. 
Geological position of Fossil fishes in England and Scotland.— 
Mr. Murchison shewed, that fossil fishes are common to the central 
portion of the old red sandstone of England, and the strata occupy- 
ing the same geological position in Forfarshire, and other counties in 
