392 /. A. Mahony — Organic Remains in Cowdon Valley . 



Myriophyllum sulcatum. Eepresented by a portion of the character- 

 istic leaf. 



Scirpus lacustris. In the upper bed only, where it was very 

 abundant. 



Potamogeton hicens. Leaves and seeds frequent. 



Scutellaria galericulata. A leaf of an herbaceous plant most closely 

 agi'ees with this species. 



Betula alba. Numerous twigs of this tree were found in the lower 

 bed, none in the upper. 



Corylus Avellana. Eepresented by a fragment of root — also from 

 the lower bed. 



ANIMALIA. 



Numerous objects were found which seemed to be the remains of 

 infusorial life but too incomplete for identification. 



Spongid^, — Spongilla fluviatilis. The acicular spiculae of a fresh- 

 water sponge were very frequently to be met with, — occurring indeed 

 on every slide. In one instance I got a fragment of the sponge itself, 

 with the contained spicules, which quite agree with those of S. 

 fluviatilis. 



Annelida. — JScemopis sanguisorba. Two examples of the jaws of 

 this leech with teeth all perfect. 



Crustacea. — Daphnia ? There occurred a very complete 

 organism, with rudimentary eyes and jointed limbs, which I consider 

 to be a larval form of Daphnia. The lower bed contains thousands 

 of fragments of clear yellowish animal tissue which, from its mark- 

 ings and other characters, I think are the remains of a soft-shelled 

 Entomost7'acan. 



Insecta. — Portions of the elytra of beetles were pretty frequent. 

 Many mandibles, etc., have been mounted by Mr. J. Coutts — the 

 various objects indicating the presence of at least three species. 



MdMMALiA. — Bos primigenius. A skull exhumed by the labourers 

 and described by Mr. James Geikie. 



The evidence presented to us by these stratified beds clearly 

 suggests the existence of a lake, and the organisms that peopled its 

 waters, or lived along its margin, have been here wonderfully pre- 

 served during a long lapse of time. The extent of this time it is 

 difficult to determine (although the latest observations on the section 

 tend to confirm the opinion of these beds being of Boulder-clay age) , 

 but that it dates at least from the close of the Glacial period is well 

 shown from the following circumstance. 



The porphyritic trap, which rises as a sloping wall at the lower 

 end of the beds and forms their eastern boundary, is a rock easily 

 acted on by the weather, and already, after two years exposure con- 

 sequent on the removal of the clay, exhibits much disintegration. 

 Now this rock face is highly glaciated, presenting a polished surface 

 with deep groovings and striations which have evidently been pro- 

 tected from obliteration by the water of the small lake, formed soon 

 after the disappearance of the ice, and afterwards by the beds of 

 clay and sand deposited as the lake gradually silted up. Had the 



