﻿32 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SOCIETY. 
  

  

  assisting 
  my 
  late 
  senior 
  colleague, 
  Mr. 
  William 
  Davies, 
  in 
  the 
  

   arrangement 
  of 
  the 
  unique 
  series 
  of 
  Fossil 
  Fishes, 
  has 
  pointed 
  out 
  

   to 
  me 
  a 
  wide 
  field 
  for 
  investigation 
  among 
  the 
  lower 
  extinct 
  Verte- 
  

   brates. 
  The 
  highly-valued 
  encouragement 
  received 
  to-day 
  will 
  in- 
  

   cite 
  me 
  to 
  renewed 
  efforts, 
  and 
  T 
  shall 
  still 
  strive 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  best 
  

   use 
  of 
  the 
  advantages 
  resulting 
  from 
  my 
  official 
  position. 
  

  

  Award 
  oe 
  the 
  Murchisox 
  Medal. 
  

  

  In 
  handing 
  the 
  Murchison 
  Medal 
  to 
  Mr. 
  William 
  Topley, 
  F.R.S., 
  

   for 
  transmission 
  to 
  Professor 
  James 
  Geikie, 
  LL.D., 
  F.R.S., 
  F.G.S., 
  

   the 
  President 
  addressed 
  him 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Toplev, 
  — 
  

  

  The 
  Council 
  has 
  awarded 
  the 
  Murchison 
  Medal 
  to 
  Professor 
  

   James 
  Geikie 
  in 
  acknowledgment 
  of 
  his 
  important 
  contributions 
  to 
  

   the 
  Geology 
  of 
  Xorth 
  Britain, 
  and 
  especially 
  of 
  his 
  investigation 
  of 
  

   glacial 
  phenomena. 
  His 
  ' 
  Great 
  Ice-Age 
  ' 
  contained 
  a 
  full, 
  careful, 
  

   and 
  admirably 
  written 
  summary 
  of 
  the 
  observations 
  made 
  up 
  to 
  

   1874, 
  and 
  the 
  interest 
  excited 
  by 
  the 
  work 
  was 
  proved 
  by 
  a 
  second 
  

   edition 
  being 
  required 
  in 
  1877. 
  Professor 
  Geikie 
  has 
  besides 
  pub- 
  

   lished 
  numerous 
  papers, 
  not 
  the 
  least 
  important 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  two 
  

   that 
  appeared 
  in 
  the 
  Society's 
  Quarterly 
  Journal 
  containing 
  his 
  

   observations 
  " 
  On 
  the 
  Glacial 
  Phenomena 
  of 
  the 
  Long 
  Island 
  or 
  

   Outer 
  Hebrides." 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Topley, 
  in 
  reply, 
  said: 
  — 
  

  

  Mr. 
  President, 
  — 
  

  

  On 
  behalf 
  of 
  Prof. 
  James 
  Geikie, 
  who 
  is 
  detained 
  in 
  Scotland, 
  I 
  

   beg 
  most 
  heartily 
  to 
  thank 
  the 
  Council 
  of 
  the 
  Geological 
  Society 
  of 
  

   London, 
  for 
  the 
  honour 
  conferred 
  upon 
  him 
  in 
  the 
  Award 
  of 
  the 
  

   Murchison 
  Medal. 
  A 
  prize 
  founded 
  by 
  and 
  continued 
  in 
  honour 
  of 
  

   his 
  old 
  chief, 
  will, 
  I 
  am 
  sure, 
  have 
  for 
  Prof. 
  James 
  Geikie 
  an 
  

   especial 
  value. 
  He 
  has 
  desired 
  me 
  to 
  communicate 
  to 
  you 
  the 
  

   following 
  remarks: 
  — 
  "I 
  feel 
  sure 
  that 
  my 
  fellow 
  geologists 
  will 
  

   fully 
  agree 
  with 
  me 
  when 
  I 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  prosecution 
  of 
  our 
  

   favourite 
  science 
  is 
  its 
  own 
  great 
  reward. 
  The 
  charms 
  that 
  first 
  

   took 
  our 
  fancy 
  do 
  not 
  lose 
  any 
  of 
  their 
  attractions 
  after 
  we 
  have 
  

   become 
  confirmed 
  devotees. 
  On 
  the 
  contrary, 
  as 
  years 
  pass, 
  our 
  

   interest 
  only 
  deepens, 
  and 
  we 
  are 
  so 
  absorbed 
  that 
  happily 
  we 
  escape 
  

  

  