60 



Proceedings of Learned Societies. 



to throw light upon the mode of formation of the surface, upon 

 the existence of continued eruptive action, and upon the presence 

 or absence of atmospheric variations indicated by illusory ap- 

 pearances of change. An attempt will be made, in a future 

 paper, to point out the conditions under which such inves- 

 tigations may be attended with success. 



OCCULTATIONS. 



These, during the present month, are few. The moon, as 

 viewed from Greenwich, makes a near approach to 39 Ophiuchi, 

 6 mag. on the 5th, at 9h. 4m. ■ to 8 Arietis, 4-j mag. on the 

 16th, at lOh. 34m.; A 1 Tauri, 4-1 mag. immerges, Aug. 17th, 

 llh. 26m., and reappears at 12h. 18m., followed by A 2 , 6 mag., 

 at llh. 38m. and 12h. 35m. respectively. These two stars lie 

 a little s f from the Pleiades, in the direction of Aldebaran. 



PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 



BY W. B. TEGETMEIER. 



GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY.— June 18. 



Raised Beaches op Scotland. — In reference to a paper of Mr. 

 Geikie, an account of which appeared in the Intellectual Observer, 

 vol. I. page 319, Mr. W. Carrathers made a communication in which 

 he stated that in the section of clay, sand, and gravel near Leith, 

 described by Mr. Geikie as part of a raised beach elevated since the 

 period of the Roman occupation, not only have mediaeval pottery 

 and tobacco-pipes been found as described by Mr. Geikie, but a 

 mediseval jar has been met with in the sand beneath. The so-called 

 " Roman" pottery was stated by Mr. Carruthers to be of mediseval 

 age, on the independent authority of Messrs. Birch and Franks of 

 the British Museum ; and he believes that the beds in question are 

 mainly of late and artificial formation ; he does not, however, argue 

 from this that there is no evidence of a late upheaval of the central 

 part of Scotland. 



On the Sudden Destruction of Fishes in the Sea. — The for- 

 mation of deposits containing the remains of fish in vast numbers 

 was illustrated in a very interesting manner by Sir William Denison, 

 Governor of Madras, who, in a letter read before the Society, stated 

 that when steaming between Mangalore and Cananore, on the west 

 coast of India, he found that for some time after the south-west mon- 

 soon the sea was offensive with dead fish, killed by the great mass of 

 fresh water poured into the sea during the season of the monsoon. 



