110 PROCEEDINGS OP THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [May 4, 



the Great Oolite may belong to the same form of reptile, — the size of 

 the eggs being such as I could conceive might have belonged to one 

 of these creatures. At the same time it must be confessed that, as 

 yet, direct evidence is wanting upon the matter ; I must therefore at 

 present content myself with having described the conditions under 

 which the subject of the present memoir was found, regretting that, 

 as its discovery is due to a pupil (the late Mr. Dalton) who has since 

 died, I cannot be so minute upon this point as I could wish. I am 

 keeping, however, a sharp look-out in the Oolites of my own neigh- 

 bourhood for additional specimens, and I hope the publication of 

 these remarks may cause others to do the like. 



I venture to propose for this specimen the provisional name of 

 Oolithes Bathoniece. 



3. Some Observations on the Floea of the Oolite. 

 By Baron Achille de Zigno. 



[Communicated by C. J.F. Bunbury, Esq., F.K.S., F.G.S.] 



In presenting to the Geological Society of London the Second Part 

 of my ' Flora of the Oolite,' I wish to submit to the Society some 

 explanations and some observations on the work I have undertaken. 



The comparative study of the numerous materials discovered in 

 the beds subjacent to the Oxfordian group of the Venetian Alps has 

 rendered it necessary to pass in revision all the species belonging to 

 the Oolite that are at present known. 



Although I am quite aware of the difficulty of the task which I 

 have imposed on myself, and of the numerous imperfections which 

 must be inevitable in a general work of this nature, in the present 

 state of our information on this subject, still I have not hesitated to 

 undertake it, encouraged as I am by the hope, that in any case it 

 may be of some use to those who woidd wish to undertake the study 

 of the Flora of the Oolite. 



The publication of the generalizations which are usually placed at 

 the beginning of a work has been purposely postponed by me, in 

 order that I might profit by new discoveries, and thus present as 

 complete a view of the subject as possible. 



The sketch of these generalizations (from vol. vi. of the ' Memoirs 

 of the Imperial and Royal Institute of Venice ') which I had the 

 honour of presenting to the Society last year, will undoubtedly be 

 perceptibly modified by the new facts which may hereafter enrich 

 science. I accordingly published in 1856 a short review of facts 

 on the geographical extent, on the geological distribution, and on 

 the analogies of the flora of the Oolite with those of the Keuper, 

 of the Lias, and of the "Wealden group, in order to excite the men of 

 science who live in those geological districts to the publication of 

 materials which have not yet been made known, or at any rate to 

 induce them to communicate such corrections as their information 

 may lead them to consider necessary, and which will thus be brought 

 to bear upon science. 



