474 Proceedings of Learned Societies. 



probably from the Cotentin. These facts seem to prove that, before 

 the Low, and possibly even before the High-level Valley-gravel 

 period, there existed a channel open to the westward, and extending 

 between France and England. Above the Sangatte raised beach 

 occurs a mass of chalk and flint-rubble, with beds of loam, from 

 twenty to eighty feet thick, and containing land-shells. Mr. Prest- 

 wich considered this accumulation analogous to the loess, which it 

 resembles in general character, while the shells found in it belong 

 to species common in that deposit. 



The Formation of the Weald and the Deposits in the Medway 

 "Valley. — A very interesting paper, by Messrs. Le Neve Foster and 

 Mr. Topley, on the denudation of the Weald, was read, describing 

 the superficial deposits of the valley of the Medway. They showed 

 that deposits of river-gravel and brick-earth (loess) occur at various 

 heights up to three hundred feet above the level of the river. They 

 also gave a detailed account of those singular formations known as 

 "pipes" at Maidstone, where brick-earth (loess), containing land 

 and freshwater shells and mammalian remains, have been let down 

 into deep cavities in the Kentish Rag, probably by the gradual 

 dissolving away of the limestone by the action of rain-water con- 

 taining carbonic acid. 



The paper was intended mainly to show the light that is thrown 

 upon the theory of the denudation of the Weald by a study of the 

 superficial deposits. The authors stated their objections to the 

 theory of fracture and the marine theory, and endeavoured to 

 prove that the gravel and brick-earth (loess), occurring at a very 

 great height above the level of the Medway, are old alluvia of that 

 river. If this point be granted, it follows that the denudation has 

 been effected by atmospheric agencies, i.e., rain and rivers, and that 

 there will be little difficulty in supposing the present inequalities of 

 surface in the Weald to have been produced by these agents. The 

 escarpments of the chalk, which are, upon the marine theory of 

 the formation of the Weald, regarded as sea-cliffs, are considered 

 by the authors as being due entirely to the difference cf waste of 

 the hard and soft formations under atmospheric denudation. 



June 7. 

 On the Former Occurrence of the Musk Ox in Low Latitudes. 

 A short paper, by Monsieur Lartet and the late Mr. Christy, de- 

 scribing a phalange of the musk-ox (Oviios moschatus), which was 

 discovered by them in the Gorge d'Enfer. With it were found 

 remains of JJrsus sjpelceus, reindeer and aurochs, as well as worked 

 flints, differing from those found in any other of the Doi'dogne 

 caves. Monsieur Lartet remarked that the Gorge d'Enfer is the 

 most southern locality at which remains of Ovibos moschatus have 

 yet been found, and is fifteen degrees south of its most southern 

 limit at the present day; but reindeer remains have been found by 

 Mr. Christy and himself further south still, on the northern slope of 

 the Pyrenees. 



