Mr. W. II. Flower on the extinct Thylacoleo carnifex. 73 



in the New Hebrides, and Santa Maria and Great Banks Islands, 

 among the Banks-Island group, as being now active volcanoes, and 

 gave an account of a visit to the Hot Springs of Great Banks 

 Island. These springs deposit quantities of almost pure sulphur. 



April 8th, 1868.-Prof. T. H. Huxley, LL.D., F.R.S., 



President, in the Chair. 



The following communications were read : — 



1. " On the Affinities and probable Habits of the extinct Austra- 

 lian Marsupial, Thylacoleo carnifex, Owen." By W. IT. Flower, 

 Esq., F.R.S., F.G.S., &c. 



Thylacoleo was first described by Prof. Owen in the Philosophical 

 Transactions for 1859, from an imperfect skull, the characters of 

 which led to the conclusion that it was " one of the fellest and 

 most destructive of predatory beasts," having its nearest affinities 

 among existing marsupials with Dasyurus ursinus, although the 

 interval be still very great between them. In a subsequent de- 

 scription of a more perfect skull, Prof. Owen's views of the affi- 

 nities, though not of the habits and food of the animal, were modi- 

 fied. It was stated to be more nearly related to the Diprotodons, 

 Nototheres, Koalas, Phalangers, and Kangaroos, but at the same 

 time to exemplify " the simplest and most effective dental machinery 

 for predatory life and carnivorous diet known in the Mammalian 

 class." 



The author of the present paper, while entirely concurring with 

 Prof. Owen in his later views of the affinities of Thylacoleo, and 

 pointing out in detail its relations, especially with the Rat Kan- 

 garoos (Hypsiprymnus) and the Phalangers (Phalangista) , demurred 

 to the soundness of the conclusion as to its predaceous habits. He 

 remarked that as the greater number, if not all, of the known animals 

 of the group to which Thylacoleo undoubtedly belongs are either 

 vegetable or mixed feeders, the probabilities would be that this 

 creature conformed with its congeners in this respect, unless it 

 possessed any such striking adaptive modification of the normal 

 typical dentition of the group as to lead to a directly opposite 

 conclusion. 



He then proceeded to discuss this question, showing that in its 

 rodent-like incisors, rudimentary canines, and hypsiprymnoid pre- 

 molars it presents no sufficient approximation to any of the true 

 predaceous carnivores, either placental or marsupial, as in his 

 opinion to justify the inference as to its habits which is expressed 

 in the name bestowed upon it. 



2. " On the Thickness of the Carboniferous Rocks of the Pendle 

 Range of Hills, Lancashire." By E. Hull, Esq., B.A., F.R.S., 

 F.G.S., of the Geological Survey of Scotland. 



This paper was supplementary to a former communication by the 

 author, in which he endeavoured to prove the south-easterly attenua- 

 tion of the Carboniferous sedimentary strata of the North of England, 

 while the calcareous member (the Mountain-limestone) attained its 



