32 Reports and Proceedings. 



4. " On the existence during the Quaternary Period of a Grlacier 

 of the Second Order, occupying the ' cirque ' of the valley of 

 Palheres in the western part of the granitic 'massif of the Lozere." 

 By M. C. Martins, For. Corr. G.S. 



After mentioning that no one had satisfactorily proved the former 

 existence of glaciers in the Puys of Auvergne, the Cevennes moun- 

 tains, or the massif of the Lozere, the author stated that, from 

 studying the Government map, it occurred to him that traces of a 

 glacier ought to be found in the eastern part of the granitic massif of 

 the Lozere, at the upper portion of the Yalley of Palheres, which 

 opens near Yillefort. An examination of the district in question 

 proved the former existence of a glacier which was limited to the 

 cirque which enclosed it, and did not descend into the valley. A 

 lateral and a terminal moraine were found, and rocJies perchees were 

 observed on the sides of the valley. No striae or polished surfaces 

 were seen, owing to the schistose rocks beiag easily decomposed. 



Edinburgh Geological Society. — The President's Address. 

 — On the 3rd December, 1868, the newly-elected President, Archi- 

 bald Geikie, Esq., E.E.S., etc., Director of the Geological Survey of 

 Scotland, delivered the following address. 



Mr. Geikie, after thanking the society for the compliment which 

 they had paid him in electing him their President, passed on to 

 notice some of the functions of scientific societies. These, he said, 

 may be conveniently divided into two classes — first, those of a 

 national character, like the Eoyal Society, the Geological Society, 

 and the Chemical Society of London ; and second, local societies, 

 properly so-called. The functions of a local society are five-fold — 

 first, to exhaust, so far as possible, the geology, botany, or natural 

 history, as the case may be, of its own district, and to methodise and 

 encourage the observations of an organised body of workers among 

 its members ; secondly, to watch every change within the scope of 

 its own science which may arise in the course of human progress — 

 for example, in botany, to note the changes caused by man's inter- 

 ference upon the plants of a district ; in geology, to notice the effects 

 revealed by every new quarry, railway cutting, or exposure, along 

 with the influence of man upon existing geological processes ; third, 

 to bring forward at evening meetings notices of all new observations 

 made by the members or by others in the district, and to preserve, 

 and where possible, publish a record of these observations ; fourth, 

 to aid the researches of men who are devoting themselves to any 

 special branch of science, by furnishing them with carefully verified 

 facts and specimens, or other material which may be required ; and 

 fifth, to foster among its own members and in the outer world a 

 love of the science which the Society is specially formed to cultivate. 

 In regard to the Edinburgh Geological Society, the author pointed 

 out how advantageously situated it is for the study of geological 

 science. No better field for the prosecution of that study can be 

 found than the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, while the libraries and 

 geological collections in the city afford excellent help to the student. 



