118 Miscellaneous. [Feb. 



13. That the history of ancient vegetation should be further examined, by 

 prosecuting the researches into the anatomy of fossil wood, which have been 

 exemplified in Mr. With am' s recent volume. 



14. That the quantity of mud and silt contained in the water of the principal 

 rivers should be ascertained, distinguishing as far as may be possible, the com- 

 parative quantity of sediment from the water at different depths, in different parts 

 of the current, and at different distances from the mouth of the river ; distinguish- 

 ing also any differences in the quality of the sediment, and estimating it at differ- 

 ent periods of the year ; with a view of explaining the hollowing of valleys, and 

 the formation of strata at the mouths of rivers. 



15. That the experiments of the late Mr. Gregory Watt, on the fusion 

 and slow cooling of large masses of stony substances, should be repeated and 

 extended by those who, from proximity to large furnaces, have an opportunity 

 of trying such experiments on a large scale ; and that trial should be made of 

 the effect of long-continued high temperature on rocks containing petrifactions, 

 iu defacing or modifying the traces of organic structure, and of the effect of the 

 continued action of steam or of water at a high temperature, in dissolving or 

 altering minerals of difficult solution. 



16. That the dimensions of the bones of extinct animals should be expressed 

 numerically in tables, so as to show the exact relations of their dimensions to 

 those of animals now living ; and also to show what combinations of dimensions 

 in the same animal no longer exist. 



17. Tnat the following geological queries be proposed : 



1. Are any instances of contorted rocks interposed between strata not 

 contorted ? 



2. Is there any instance of secondary rocks being altered in texture or 

 quality by contact with gneiss or primary slates ? 



3. Is the occurrence of cannel coal generally connected with faults or 

 dislocations of the strata ? 



4. What is the nature of the pebbles in the new red sandstone conglo- 

 merate in different districts : do they ever consist of granite gneiss, mica- 

 slate, chert, millstone, grit, or any other sandstone which can be traced to the 

 coal series ? 



18. The attention of residents in our remote foreign dependencies is invited 

 to the two great questions of comparative geology and palaeontology. 1. Is 

 there or is there not such a general uniformity of type in the series of rock- 

 formations in distant countries, that we must conceive them to have resulted 

 from general causes of almost universal prevalence at the same geological sera ? 

 2. Are the organic remains of the same geological period specifically similar in 

 very remote districts, and especially under climates actually different ; or are 

 they grouped together within narrower boundaries, and under restrictions as to 

 geographical habitats analogous to those which prevail in the actual system of 



things ? ..... 



19. An examination of the geological structure of the countries constituting 

 the great basin of the Indus, where, if in any part of India, it is supposed a 

 complete series of secondary strata may be expected. 



Zoology. 

 The Committee recommended to the consideration of Zoologists the following 

 subjects of inquiry : . '. 



20. The use of horns in the class mammalia ; the reason of their presence in 

 the females of some, and their absence in those of other species ; the connexion 

 between their development and sexual periods ; the reason of their being deci- 

 duous in some tribes, and persistent in others. 



21. The use of the lachrymal sinus in certain families of the ruminantia. 



22. The conditions which regulate the geographical distribution of mam- 

 malia. 



23. The changes of colour of hair, feathers, and other external parts ot ani- 

 mals ; how these changes are effected in parts usually considered by anatomists 

 as extra- vascular. . 



24. The nature and use of the secretions of certain glands immediately under 

 the skin, above the eyes, and over the nostrils, in certain species of the gralla- 

 tores and natatores ; the nature and use of the secretion of the uropygial gland. 



