512 Reports and Proceedings. 



water deposits of the Lingula Flag group, followed by another 

 sudden depression at the commencement of the Tremadoc epoch, 

 which allowed the water to spread freely over the whole European 

 area. 



The author next discusses the faunas of the successive epochs, and 

 indicates that these are also in favour of his views. He indicates 

 the probability that the animals, which are all of marine forms, 

 migrated into the European area from some point to the south-west, 

 probably near the equator, where he supposes the earliest types were 

 developed. Both the lower and higher types of invertebrates ap- 

 pear first in the western areas ; and the groups in each case as they 

 first appear are those which biologists now recognize as being most 

 nearly allied, and which may have developed from one common type. 

 The lower invertebrates appear at a very much earlier period than 

 the higher in all the areas. In the Welsh area the higher forms (the 

 Gasteropods, Lamellibranchs, and Cephalopods) come in for the first 

 time in Lower Tremadoc rocks ; and with the exception of the pre- 

 sence of a Gasteropod in rather lower beds in Spain, this is the 

 earliest evidence of these higher forms having reached the European 

 area. At this time, however, no less than five distinct faunas of 

 lower invertebrates had already appeared ; and an enormous period, 

 indicated by the deposition of nearly 15,000 feet of deposits, had 

 elapsed since the first fauna had reached this area. The author 

 points out also that a simliar encroachment of the sea and migration 

 of animals in a north-westerly direction occurred in the North 

 American area at about the same time, the lines indicating the 

 European and American depressions meeting in Mid-Atlantic. 



3. " On a Bone-Cave in Creswell Crags." By the Bev. J. Magens 

 Mello, M.A., E.G.S. 



In this paper the author describes some fissures containing numerous 

 bones, situated in Creswell Crags, a ravine bounded by cliffs of 

 Lower Permian limestone, on the north-eastern borders of Derby-' 

 shire. These cliffs contain numerous fissures. The principal one 

 described by the author penetrates about 50 yards into the rock and 

 has a wide opening, but is very narrow throughout the greater part 

 of its length. It runs nearly north and south, and inclines slightly 

 from west to east, from the top downwards. Near the entrance 

 there is a layer of surface soil six or seven inches deep, diminishing 

 to about two inches a few yards in ; this contains fragments of 

 modern pottery, etc. A fine flint flake was found in this layer at 

 about four inches from the surface. It is succeeded by a bed of red 

 sand, containing rounded pebbles and rough blocks of Magnesian 

 Limestone, which was cut into to a depth of four to five feet ; it was 

 full of bones, especially at a depth of two and a half or three feet 

 downwards. Most of the long bones lay with their long axis parallel 

 to the sides of the fissure and with their heavier ends foremost. An 

 adjoining cave contained close to the surface some fragments of 

 Koman pottery, together with bones of the common sheep; just 

 below these, from three to four inches deep, were some molars of 

 Bhinoceros ticliorhinus, of the reindeer, and numerous chips of flint, 



