02 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



GEOLOGY 



CONDUCTED BY EDWARD A. MARTIN, F.G.S. 



A Wealden Bird. — Mr. Neville Jones, a member 

 of the London Geological Field Class, found a frag- 

 ment of a bone in a sandstone of the Wealden Beds 

 of Ansty Place, near Cuckfield, which has been 

 identified by Prof. H. G. Seeley, F.R.S., F.G.S., as 

 probably the distal end of the femur of a bird. He 

 states that the external condyle is not only larger and 

 deeper than the inner, but is more prolonged distally, 

 this being perhaps the most distinctive avian character 

 of the bone. Colyinbus is the only existing bird to 

 which the fossil has any approximation, but the 

 resemblance is distant, and not suggestive of near 

 affinity. It is interesting that the Cretaceous birds 

 show so marked an afiEnity with that type. Prof. 

 Seeley's paper on the subject will appear in the 

 Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, and is 

 awaited with interest. 



Raised Beach at Brighton. — In connection 

 with our recent notes on this subject, our readers will 

 be interested to know that at the Geologists' 

 Association meeting at University College on 

 June 2nd, a paper was read by Mr, F. Chapman, 

 "A.L.S., F.R.M.S., on "The Raised Beach and 

 Rubble Drift at Aldrington, between Hove and 

 Portslade-on-Sea, Sussex, with notes on the Microzoa.'' 

 Since Mr. Johnson's note appeared in Science- 

 Gossip last month, I have paid another visit to the 

 quarry mentioned by him, and brought away thence 

 from the grey sand beneath the Chalk Breccia, or 

 Coombe Rock, a lump of greyish granite, originally 

 8 inches long. At first sight it appears to be exactly 

 similar to those fragments which I obtained from the 

 raised beach on the east of Brighton some little time 

 since. 



Geologists' Association Field Meeting. — On 

 June 3rd, members visited Reigate under the direction 

 of Miss M. C. Crosfield and the Rev. Ashington 

 BuUen, F.C. S. A visit was paid to Mr. Tavlor's 

 CoUey Hill Quarry in the Upper Greensand. The 

 pit gives a fine section, with numerous little faults on 

 the east side of the quarry. Here, too, is the 

 " Holocene " deposit, recently described by Mr. 

 Bullen, affording Bulitnus iiwntamis and Helix 

 arbiistoruiH. A climb was made to the top of the 

 hill to inspect a large block of cemented flints, 

 weighing over a ton, lying in the red clay with flints. 

 ..A junction of the Gaull and Lower Greensand was 

 examined in the Croydon Road, also in Bell Street. 

 The Gault is exposed in the wine cellars in Bell 

 Street. 



Folkestone Fossils.— Amongst fossil collectors 

 to whom some of our best-known geologists have been 

 indebted for specimens, is the veteran John Griffiths, 

 who is still as enthusiastic in his pursuits as advancing 

 years will allow. He would be glad to supply 

 geological specimens to any of our readers who m.ay 

 communicate with him. His address is 4, Batley 

 Cottages, Folkestone. There are exceptional oppor- 

 tunities at present in the Folkestone district in 

 consequence of the several new colliery works in 

 progress. 



A great auk's egg will be offered at Mr. Stevens' 

 Auction Rooms, Covent Garden, on July 19th. 



We have received from Messrs. Dulau and Co., 

 Soho Square, London, two catalogues, one devoted to 

 books and papers on British Botany and the other to 

 those on Astronomy and Meteorology. 



The Midland Malacological Society, at a recent 

 meeting held in Mason University College, Birming- 

 ham, elected Dr. Henry Fischer of Paris, and Pro- 

 fessor Pilsbry of Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.A. as 

 honorary members of the Society. 



The Rev. Frederick Smith has favoured us with a 

 reprint from the Proceedings of the Philosophical 

 Society of Glasgow, of his paper entitled "Some In- 

 vestigations into Palaoelithio Remains in Scotland." 

 It is illustrated with four plates and some diagrams. 



We have received from Professor W. W. Watts, 

 the Secretary of the Committee on Photographs of 

 Geological Interest in the United Kingdom, appointed 

 by the Bristol Association for the Advancement of 

 Science, its Ninth Annual Report, submitted at the 

 Bristol Meeting in 1898. 



Messrs. Williams and Norgate, the London 

 publishers, are acting as agents for a novel illustrated 

 monthly journal, to be devoted to photography, and 

 published in four languages, namely, English, French, 

 German and Dutch. The editorial offices will be 27, 

 Marnixkade, Amsterdam. It promises to be of con- 

 siderable literary and artistic importance. 



During the year previous to the Bristol meeting 

 the Committee on Photographs of Geological Interest 

 received 250 new photographs, bringing the total 

 number in the collection, to 2,001. Among them are 

 some of exceptional inteiest including a set from 

 Arran, Cumbrae, Ailsa Craig, and the Fifeshire 

 volcanic necks, by Mr. A. S. Reid ; raised beaches in 

 Devon by Miss Partridge, and others. 



The promise of Mr. Balfour on behalf of the 

 Government, to give substantial aid to the proposed 

 British Antarctic Expedition, is most satisfactory. 

 The very important deputations from the Royal 

 Society and the Royal Geographical Society, that 

 discussed the matter with the first Lord of the Treasury 

 on the 22nd of June, could hardly fail to impress the 

 Government of the necessity of such an expedition. 

 Mad it not been for private munificence, showing how 

 earnest is the desire ; we doubt that the national funds 

 would have been so readily forthcoming 



There must be many photographers with some 

 knowledgeof Geology, who can assist the Committeeon 

 Photographs of Geological Interest. Copies of Photo- 

 graphs should be sent unmounted to Professor W. W. 

 Watts, Mason University College, Birmingham. The 

 districts from which tliese are still most required are, 

 N. and S. Wales, The Yorkshire Dales and Moors, 

 The Malverns, around Oxford and Cambridge, Corn- 

 wall, The .Southern Uplands, The Central Valley of 

 Scotland, and Central and Southern Ireland. On 

 application to Professor Watts gratuitous instructions 

 may be received by those desiring to help in this work. 



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