Proceedings of the British Association. 185 



far greater than was at first supposed. At the meeting of the Swedish 

 Academy just referred to, a communication was made from an officer 

 who had been employed on the southwest coast of Sweden, giving ev- 

 idence of the recent elevation of that part of the coast, and stating, 

 that during the present summer, fishermen had pointed out to him near 

 the Maelstrom, at Offroust, shoals which had never before been visible. 

 The elevation of the Swedish coast forms a striking contrast with the 

 unchanged position of the contiguous coast of Norway, which, as far 

 as observation has been hitherto extended, has suffered no change with- 

 in the period of history, although marine deposits, found upon the Nor- 

 wegian hills, at very considerable elevations above the level of the sea, 

 prove that those parts were formerly submerged. Dr. Langberg, of 

 Christiana, confirmed the statement made by Major Beamish, as to the 

 unchanged position of the Norwegian coast, within the period of his- 

 tory, as far as observation has hitherto extended. Mr. Lyell observed, 

 that if the rate of upward and downward movement of the land in 

 Scandinavia could be proved to take place irregularly, and sometimes 

 with considerable rapidity in a short time, it would remove many diffi- 

 culties in the explanation of these phenomena, by the hypothesis of a 

 surface movement. He then alluded to the buried hut at Sodertelge, 

 near Stockholm, above which regular deposits, twenty four feet in thick- 

 ness, were found, containing marine and fresh water shells, such as 

 now inhabit the brackish waters of the Baltic. The position of this 

 hut can only be reconciled with the belief that Scandinavia was peopled 

 within the last 5000 or 6000 years, by supposing a greater rate of 

 movement in the land than that experienced within the last few centu- 

 ries near Stockholm. 



Section D. Zoology and Botany. 



Rev. W. Hincks called attention to two living specimens of the 

 Neottia gemmipara of Smith. This very rare plant had been discov- 

 ered by Mr. J. Drummond in a salt marsh near Castleton, Bearhaven, 

 in the county of Cork, in 1810. From an imperfect specimen. Sir J. 

 S. Smith had described and figured h, and it had not been seen again 

 till 1841, when it was re-found by Dr. Sharkey. Only one specimen 

 was again obtained, and it was with difficulty identified with the original 

 specimen in the Linnsean herbarium in London. Dr. Wood and Dr. 

 Harvey had, during the past week, both gathered living specimens, 

 which were now on the table. The original plant was not a Neottia, 

 as had been supposed by Dr. Smith, but was now referred to Spiran- 

 thes. Mr. Babington stated, that he had carefully examined the plant 

 on the table, and believed that it was a genuine Spiranthes. It was a 

 matter of great interest, as probably this plant was one of the rarest in 



Vol. xLvii, No. 1.— Apirl-June, 1844. 24 



