562 Bristol Naturalists' Society. 



taken as types of these orders, various facts in connection with their 

 organization and hahits were mentioned, and allusion was made to 

 some of the other genera now existing in the present seas. These 

 remarks served as an introduction to the description of the fossils be- 

 longing to the same class. The Belemnites, the Ammonites, and the 

 Nautili, with their sub-genera were explained. The old traditions 

 relative to the two former were not forgotten, and the knowledge of 

 more modern times brought to bear upon the subject. The paper 

 closed with some remarks upon the existence of the Nautili group in 

 the more ancient deposits, and upon the importance to be attached to 

 the zones of all these fossils in connection with agriculture and 

 mining operations. — Land and Water, November 9th, 1867. 



Bristol Naturalists' Society. — At a meeting of this Society, 

 held on October 24th, Major Thomas Austin, F.G.S., in the Chair, 

 Mr. W. W. Stoddart, F.G.S., read a paper " On the Lias series of 

 Bristol." In describing the Gotham Grove quarry, the author stated 

 that the beds attained a thickness of fourteen feet five inches, of 

 which about half belonged to the so-called " Sutton series." This 

 series was placed by Mr. Tawney ^ in the Ehoetic formations when he 

 first descrilDed the beds as developed at Bridgend, Glamorganshire ; 

 subsequently, Mr. Bristow^ has referred them to the zone of Am- 

 monites planorbis in the Lower Lias, with the appellation of Lias 

 conglomerate, in explanation of their characteristic structure. This 

 section at Gotham decidedly proved the latter opinion to be correct, 

 as the fossils of the Planorbis zone were found both above and below 

 the horizon of the Sutton fossils. Details of the various strata were 

 given ; the Sutton series comprised twelve beds of limestone, 

 separated by bands of clay containing encrinital joints. The sixth 

 bed from the top contained the most characteristic fossils in the 

 greatest numbers, namely, Lima Bunravenensis, L. gigantea, L. tuher- 

 culata, and Pecten Suttonensis ; PUcatula intusstriata, met with in the 

 series at Bridgend, was here absent. Underneath the Sutton series 

 were beds containing Ammonites Johnstoni, Pholidophorus, Modiola 

 minima, Myacites, Monotis, etc., and at the base the Gotham marble. 

 Mr. Stoddart added that Mr. Etheridge and Mr. W. Sanders were 

 satisfied of the correctness of his views. 



Pal^ontographical Society. — A general meeting of this society 

 was held on the 31st of October, when Dr. James Scott Bowerbank, 

 F.E.S., was unanimously elected President in the room of Mr. 

 Hamilton, deceased, who had filled the post of president for 20 years, 

 and Professor Phillips was chosen to fill the vice-presidentship, 

 vacated by Dr. Bowerbank. The election of Dr. Bowerbank to the 

 presidental chair of this society will be gratifying to every one who 

 knows how very much geological and paleeontological science owe to 

 him. Many a man, now eminent in science, has been heard to at- 

 tribute his first feelings of interest in scientific pursuits to Dr. 



' Quart. Journ. Geol. vSoc, vol. xxii. p. 69. 

 '^ Geological Magazine, ante, p. 216. 



