152 Geological Society. 



1. Deposition of marine Miocene beds when the Vienna basin and 

 the Aralo-Caspian area were joined together, and had free com- 

 munication with the MediteiTanean. 



2. Interruption of the communication with the Mediterranean, 

 and deposition of the Sarmatic beds in a closed sea-ba&in. 



3. Gradual freshening of the water of this area and deposition of 

 the Congerian strata. 



4.' Lowering of the water of the Vienna basin and Aralo-Cas- 

 pian area to below the present level of the ocean, and great denuda^- 

 tion of the preceding strata. The author thinks that the drainage 

 was at this time to the north. 



5. Interruption of drainage to the north and deposition of flu- 

 viatile beds, with freshwater shells of existing species and remains 

 of the Mammoth and Irish Elk. 



6. Drainage to the north completely stopped and formation of 

 a great lake, over which floated icebergs with northern drift. For- 

 mation of diluvial clay of the south and boulder clays of the north 

 of Russia, 



7. Lake gradually lowered by the cutting through of the channel 

 of the Bosphorus. 



The author considers that the formation of the great lake was 

 due to the ice of the glacial period flowing down the beds of the 

 Atlantic and Pacific, and damming back the drainage of the con- 

 tinents as far as it extended. To the rising of these waters he 

 ascribes the destruction of palaeolithic man, the mammoth, and the 

 woolly rhinoceros, which he considers are prediluvial. This lake 

 was once suddenly and torrentially discharged through the breaking 

 away of the Atlantic ice-dam, causing the outspread of the middle 

 glacial sands and gravels, but was formed again, and ultimately 

 drained by the cutting through of the channel of the Bosphorus. 



He also ofl'ers suggestions to account for the preservation of the 

 Aralo-Caspian fauna and the arrival of Arctic animals in the area. 



3. " The Glacial Period." By J. F. Campbell, Esq., E.G.S. 



In this paper the author gave the results of numerous observa- 

 tions extending over many years, and made in many diff'erent parts 

 of the world, the results of which had led him to form the opinion 

 that no geological record exists of any abnormal Glacial periods 

 colder than the present world's climate. But if the term " Glacial 

 period " be used with a limitation, such as " local," or " Alpine,'^ 

 or " European," he saw nothing to object to. Changes in the 

 relations between the surface of the earth and the undoubtedly 

 permanently glacial portions of the atmosphere, principally brought 

 about by changes of level in the former, appeared to him sufficient 

 to account for the phenomena. The most recent so-called Glacial 

 periods being fixed in Postpliocene times, the author remarked 

 that Indian glaciers (lat. 27°-32° N.) are now almost as large as 

 they have been since the deposition of the crumpled Tertiary deposits 

 known as "Nahun8"and " Sivaliks." A similar result was ob- 

 tained from observations in the Caucasus (lat. 40° N.) and Rocky 



