Geological Society of London. 89 



tions between the Eeptilian faunae of Europe, S. Africa, and India at 

 the period when Hyperodapedon lived in the first and third of these 

 localities, not only that there must then have been a vast extent of 

 continental land, but that this may have persisted with but little 

 change in the nature of its inhabitants, while the fauna of the 

 neighbouring seas underwent great alterations. He remarked that 

 our Geological chronology rested too much upon a marine founda- 

 tion, and that such a persistence of dry land as was now suggested 

 by him was not only possible but, in the present case, probable. 

 He suggested the use of Conybeare's term " Poikilitic " for the 

 series of deposits containing the remains of terrestrial and fluviatile 

 plants and animals, and corresponding with the marine beds deno- 

 minated Permian and Triassic. Finally, the author remarked upon 

 the important light thrown upon the question of the geographical 

 distribution of animals by the discovery of these reptiles and other 

 recently detected fossils, and upon the interest attaching to them 

 from their high grade of development. The five great classes of 

 Vertebrata were represented during the " poikilitic" epoch by species 

 so high in the scale that we can hardly doiibt their having been pre- 

 ceded by other forms, so that some of us may yet hope to see the 

 fossil remains of a Silurian Mammal. 



Sir E. I. Murchison (who occupied the chair during the reading of the foregoing 

 paper by the President, Prof. Huxley), argued in favour of the overwhehning im- 

 portance of palseontological evidence, and maintained that Byperodapedon was 

 Triassic. He objected to the use of the term "poikilitic," which was merely indica- 

 tive of the spotted character of the beds, and protested against the mingling of the 

 Permian and Triassic series. [The discussion of the above and the succeeding paper 

 was then agreed to be taken together.] 



2. " On the Locality of a new Specimen of Hyperodapedon on the 

 South Coast of Devon.' By W. Whitaker, Esq., P.G.S. 



The author described the section presented by the South Devon 

 coast westward from the great landslip at Dowlands. The cliffs here 

 show Ehgetic beds passing down into Eed Marls of Upper Triassic 

 age, which have greenish layers among them, favouring the view 

 that the Eheetic beds might as well be classed witl\ the Trias as 

 with the Lias. Below these beds are Eed Marls and Sandstones, 

 and at Budleigh Salterton a bed of quartzite pebbles occurs. West 

 of the Exe the cliifs are of sandstone with layers of breccia ; and be- 

 yond Dawlish the breccia gradually predominates, until towards 

 Teignmouth the cliffs are almost wholly formed of it. This breccia 

 forms the base of the New Eed of Devonshire. The thickness of the 

 whole series is several thousand feet — Mr. Pengelly estimates that it 

 may be four miles or more. The jaw of Hyperodapedon referred to 

 by Professor Huxley was found in the sandstone on the left bank of 

 the Otter, immediately above the Budleigh Salterton pebble-bed, in 

 the lower part of the uppermost bed of Sandstone, which, with the 

 other sandstones and marl-beds, the author regarded as belonging to 

 the Keuper. He referred to the opinions of Mr. Pengelly and Mr. 

 Ormerod, and suggested that the breccias might possibly be of Per- 

 mian age. 



Discussion. — Sir Charles Lyell, referring to the occurrence of Hyperodapedon 



