ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT. CV 



were found in limestone of the Devonian period, the remainder in the 

 Moimtain-hmestone and the Coal-measures. The new species are 

 Chonetes Smifhii, Fischeri, Liftoni, Flemingiiy Ferneuiliana, meso- 

 lobtty Maclurea, Tuomyi, Martini, Koninckiana, and Logani. 



It is, I think, to be regretted that the authors of these papers 

 have taken their specific names from those of individuals, instead of 

 adopting the practice now prevalent amongst so many geologists of 

 the continent of taking some characteristic feature of the fossil as the 

 basis of their nomenclature. I fear, however, that the American 

 geologists are not alone to blame in this respect : the practice is almost 

 equally prevalent amongst British naturalists, but is one which should 

 be discouraged. 



The first two numbers of a work by Mr. M. Tuomey and Mr. 

 F. S. Holmes on the fossils of South Carolina have reached us within 

 the last few months. They promise to be a valuable addition to our 

 knowledge of the palseontology of that state. Commencing with the 

 pliocene fossils, these numbers contain a description of the Polyparia 

 and Echinodermata found in that district, as well as the commence- 

 ment of the description of the Bryozoa of the same region. The 

 plates which accompany the work are admirably executed. 



Two interesting reports by Dr. John Trask have been published 

 by the Senate of the State of California on the Geology of the Coast 

 Mountains and part of the Sierra Nevada. These ranges appear to 

 consist principally of granite, syenite, mica-schist, gneiss, porphyries, 

 and older greenstone, penetrated by innumerable dykes of basalt, 

 greenstone, &c., and overlaid by sedimentary sandstones which are also 

 frequently much disturbed by the intrusion of the later igneous rocks. 

 Veins of quartz of various dimensions are also of frequent occurrence. 

 Tertiary rocks with the remains of gigantic vertebrate animals and of 

 marine shells also occur on the summits and sides of the hills con- 

 stituting the Coast Mountains, as well as at a distance from the shore. 

 They occur over a considerable area, so as to leave no doubt of the 

 former submergence of the entire district. Although generally 

 referred to the miocene epoch, they appear to belong to different 

 periods ; and the terraced outlines of the different groups indicate 

 the successive steps by which the country has been elevated to its 

 present position. Some of the bivalves are of enormous size. 

 GryphcEce weighing twenty pounds have been found near Luis 

 Obispo at a distance of fifteen miles from the coast. 



These reports also contain much interesting information respecting 

 the gold mines, their present mode of working, and their future pro- 

 spects. 



I would also here particularly call your attention to the eloquent 

 and admirable address of Prof. Dana, read at the last meeting of the 

 American Association for the Advancement of Science, held during 

 the past year at Providence, Rhode Island. It contains a clear and 

 interesting sketch of the typical features of American geology from 

 the oldest palaeozoic formations to the most recent tertiaries, and will 

 be read with interest as it deserves to be studied with attention. 



M. Marcou has also published in the *Bibhotheque Universelle 



