156 G. M. Daicson — Geology of British Colmnhia. 



had been polislied. As to tlie more difficult matter of developing 

 the connections of the spirals, Mr, Glass has found that the only 

 method giving any certainty of result is by limiting the use of the 

 acid as described above and by scraping away the matrix and parts 

 of the spirals until the connections of the spirals with the hinge- 

 plate, and the connection of the spirals with each other are com- 

 pletely exposed. 



Mr. Glass says that in his own operations he places no dependence 

 upon the making of sections, though he has no doubt that those who 

 bave a preference for this naode may sometimes use it with good effect. 



Since writing the above Mr. Whitfield has kindly forwarded to 

 me a specimen of Meristella arcuata in which the spirals and their 

 connections are silicified. Mr. Whitfield only partly prepared this 

 specimen, so that the very delicate and fragile loop might be preserved 

 during transit, and said in his accompanying note — " It will need 

 careful working with acid in order to develop it so as to shew the 

 loop rings and processes." Having sent the specimen to Mr. Glass he 

 has successfully'^ worked it out, and the rings of the loop appear very 

 plainly as previously figured by Prof. Hall. Now as in Meristella 

 tumida there are no rings it cannot properly belong to the genus 

 Meristella. Mr. Whitfield agrees with me in thinking that it is 

 identical with the American Meristina Maria. Certainly Meristina 

 Maria agrees very closely with our Meristella tumida in external 

 form, and Mr. Glass has just worked out a typical specimen of the 

 American species sent to me by Prof. Hall whicb proves beyond 

 doubt that the connections of the spirals with the hinge-plate and 

 their connection with each other are identical in both species. In 

 the American description of the interior of Meristina Maria the loop 

 is said to be simple, but it is now proved that the end of the loop 

 is bifurcated in exact agreement with, the figure of the interior of 

 Meristella tumida given in the first part of this paper. 



Mr. Glass has worked out a specimen of Meristella didyma, which 

 is probably identical with the American Meristina nitida. In this 

 specimen Mr. Glass thinks he has developed a simple loop such as 

 that described by Prof. Hall for his genus Meristina. I am not 

 quite sure of this, however, and think it desirable that we should 

 have further evidence, but if Mr. Glass's supposition should prove 

 correct, then the genus Meristina should be retained for this and 

 similarly organized species, and Meristella tumida, with its synonym 

 Meristina Maria, should constitute a new genus which I would 

 name Whitfieldia. 



II. — Sketch of the Geology of Beitish Columbia. 

 By George M. Dawson, D.S,, A.R.S.M., F.G.S. 



TWENTY years ago the region now included in the Province of 

 British Columbia was — with the exception of the coast-line — 

 little known geographically, and quite unknown geologically. From 

 the days of Cook and Vancouver, and the old territorial disputes 

 with the Spaniards, this part of the west coast of North America 



