106 A. R. Hunt — The Torbay Raised Beaches. 



on the right side, while the larger of the two specimens with the 

 opercular valves in position (Fig. 1), as well as the smaller, have 

 these valves on the left side. It is certainly interesting to note that 

 we have individuals attached to the same supporting surface, with the 

 opercular valves on either the right or the left side. 



Darwin pointed out in his description of Verruca prisca that the 

 plates by which the fixed scutum and tergum are interlocked with 

 those of the rostrum and carina, were ' less-developed ' in M. Bosquet's 

 specimen (from Belgium) than in the English. The number of ribs 

 to these valves appears to vary, however, even among the present 

 specimens from Norwich, since the largest specimen has two, wliile 

 the smaller specimens appear to have only one. In the specimen 

 figured by Darwin from Norwich, the rostrum and carina have 

 only two interlocking ribs. The specimen on the oyster, however 

 (Fig. 2a) and one of those on the Echinocorys (Fig. \a) have 

 three interlocking ribs on the rostrum and carina, but these ribs are 

 more equally developed in the specimen on the oyster. The valves 

 (? carinse) figured by Bosquet (1854, pL i, figs. 7, 7' a, h) from 

 Belgium have five interlocking ribs, and in a valve (? rostrum) in the 

 Geological Department of the British Museum, registered I. 15285, 

 Avhich was obtained from J. Bosquet, these ribs are four in number. 

 There appears, therefore, to be some variation in the number of 

 interlocking ribs in the valves of Verruca prisca, as well as some 

 variation in the width of the ribs. An examination of a number 

 of recent specimens of V. stromia seems to show that the number 

 of interlo(!king ribs on the rostrum and carina increases with age, 

 since the larger specimens usually have a greater number. 



Owing to the sniallness of the two specimens mentioned above with 

 the moveable opercular valves in position, it would be dangerous 

 to attempt to isolate the opercular valves to permit of their more 

 thorough examination. I have given enlarged figures of the two 

 largest specimens, however, and these, I think, will be quite sufficient 

 to show their identity with V. frhca. 



V. — The Age ob the Toebay Raised Beaches. 

 By A. K. Hunt, F.L.S., F.G.S. 



MB. JUKES-BROWNE, F.R.S., in a paper entitled " The Making 

 of Torbay ", which has recently appeared in the Trans. Devon 

 Assoc, for 1912, incidentally refers to the Raised Beaches of Torbay 

 as follows : "The age of these beaches has been fairly well settled 

 by the determination of the date of similar beaches in South Wales 

 . . . the beaches testify to a subsidence which culminated either just 

 before or during the epoch of maximum glaciation " (Trans. Devon 

 Assoc. 1912, p. 726). 



So long ago as 1849 Mr. Austen (afterwards Godwin-Austen), that 

 prince among sea-going geologists, affirmed tluit the Raised Beaches 

 of Ireland, Whales, and Devonshire were of the same age. "From 

 tlie Irish Channel to the western coasts of England, and to those of 

 France and the Channel Islands, we have a continuous series of like 



