164 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[July ], 1865, 



GEOLOGY, 



EoLK-LoRE or Geology.— Geologists are well 

 acquainted with the new red saudstone of Cheshire 

 and the counties adjoining, and Ansted (Elementary 

 Geology, 2ud edit., p. 363) remarks of it, that "the 

 beds are nearly horizontal, the dips rarely exceeding 

 ten or twelve degrees, and being constanily toicanls 

 the east, or a few degrees north or south of that 

 point." This statement is strikingly corroborated 

 by the practical observations of the weU-siakers in the 

 county, who, on being questioned as to tlie dip of 

 the strata, invariably state that it is always "to- 

 wards the rising sun."— -T. N. B., Chester. 



The Hesults of Two Explokatioks of the 

 caverns of "Trou des Nufons," &c., near Eurfooz, 

 by MM. Van Beneden and Dupont, were laid before 

 the Acadeniie Hoyale de Belgique on the 3rd De- 

 cember, 1864. In the "Trou des Noutons" were 

 found worked flints, bone implements, fragments of 

 charcoal and wood, pieces of potteiy, human bones, 

 jaws of beaver and glutton, pell-mell with remains 

 of bear, reindeer, goat, ox, wild boar, shrews, voles, 

 numbers of birds, four species of land-shells {Helix 

 j)oriiatia, H. arhtistoriim, H. lapicida, and H. cellaria) 

 and Unio batavus, which is stUl living in the river 

 Meuse. The human bones consist of, — the "os 

 froutale " of a child, very remarkable for the eleva- 

 tion of the forehead and the extraordinary thinness 

 of the sides ; an imperfect "os frontalc " of an adult ; 

 humerus, femur, tibia, ilium, scapula, and clavicle, 

 the bones of the members alike indicating two in- 

 dividuals of different ages. The beaver is repre- 

 sented by a complete, and the glutton by the middle 

 portion of a lower jaw. The remahis of bear com- 

 prise a nearly complete vertebral column, embracing 

 the vertebrae from the 2nd cervical to the Bid 

 caudal ; the sacrum, and most of the ribs, with a 

 portion of the sternum. It differs from the cave bear 

 by its much smaller size. The goat, of which an 

 entire skull has been obtained, is of the domestic 

 species. Remains of an ox of unknown species 

 complete the category. The authors hope to give 

 at an early period a detailed description of the 

 several objects thus discovered. — Translation, ly 

 Tuilph Tate. 



The Eozoon Canadense.— The following letter 

 recently appeared in The Beader, emanating from 

 Queen's College, Galway : — 



" Eor several weeks past we have been engaged in 

 investigating the microscopic structure of the Ser- 

 pentine of Conncmara in comparison with that of a 

 similar rock occuri iug in Canada, which has attracted 

 so much attention of late. Eor a considerable portion 

 of the time we entertained the opinion, in common 



with Sir William Logan, Drs. Dawson, Sterry Hunt, 

 Carpenter, and Professor Hupert Jones, that the 

 Canadian Serpentine is of organic origin, the result 

 of the growth of an extinct foraminifer called 

 Eozoon Canadense ; it was also our belief for awhile 

 that the Connemara rock had originated from a 

 similar organism. Gradually, of late, however, we 

 have been reluctantly compelled to change our 

 opinions, 



"It is now our conviction that all the parts in 

 Serpentine, which have been taken for the skeleton 

 structures of a foraminifer are nothing more than the 

 effect of crystallization and segregation. 



" It would have given us unalloyed pleasure, had 

 we been able to state that our investigations have 

 confirmed those of the eminent authorities to whom 

 reference has been made, as it was pm-ely in this 

 spirit that we commenced our labours; and also, we 

 may observe, with the desire to ascertain if the Ser- 

 pentine of Connemara and the other rocks with 

 which it is interstratified, belonged to the Lauren- 

 tian period. 



"We purpose at an early opportunity to lay 

 before the public all the evidences and considera- 

 tions which bear us out in our present opinion.— 

 We are. Sir, yours very truly, &c., 



"William King, Professor of Mineralogy 

 and Geology. 



" Thomas Powney, Ph.D., Professor of 

 Chemistry." 



In the succeeding number of the same journal a 

 communication was published from Dr. Carpenter, 

 in which the claims of Eozoon to be considered 

 organic were strongly asserted, and some little per- 

 sonality introduced. To this communication Pro- 

 fessor Xing has briefly replied that the results of 

 his investigations will soon be published, and until 

 then he recommends a suspension of judgment. 



Anotheii Plesiosaurus. — We have to record 

 the discovery, in the neighbourhood of Charmouth, 

 Dorset, of another Plesiosaurus. This fossil, though 

 not so perfect as the magnificent one acquired by the 

 British Museum last year, is yet a remarkably fine 

 specimen, and being in stone is in good preservation. 

 Portions of the skeleton have been submitted to 

 Professor Owen, who has pronounced them to 

 belong to an undcscribed and unnamed species. 

 Thus this makes the second new species of this most 

 remarkable family which E. C. H. Day, Esq., E.G.S., 

 of Charmouth, has been the medium of bringing 

 under the notice of the scientific world. It is to be 

 hoped that this wonderful relic of a bygone age of 

 life will be secured for the national collection ; but 

 at present, as we are informed, circumstances seem 

 likely to prevent its acquisition.— T/^i? Beader. 



