Geological Society. 281 



doubtedly five or six hundredths of a second too great. The chapter 

 on Theories of Planetary Evolution is very interesting; but it is 

 difficult for a writer not conversant with dynamics, to a knowledge 

 of which Miss Clerke makes no claim, to discuss these subjects with 

 perfect clearness, and a little obscurity is noticeable in one or two 

 sentences. The book appropriately concludes with an account of 

 the monster telescopes of the present day, special stress being laid 

 on the necessity for placing them amidst suitable climatic con- 

 ditions in order to reap the full advantages of their optical power. 



All through the second part of the book, Miss Clerke brings 

 prominently forward the great services which have been rendered 

 to Astronomy in almost all its branches — Solar, Stellar, and 

 Cometary — by the spectroscope ; and to those of our readers who 

 wish to have a clear view of the state of our knowledge before the 

 invention of the spectroscope compared with what it was in the 

 year 1885, we have no hesitation in recommending for their perusal 

 this History of Astronomy during the Nineteenth Century. 



The book has been printed with remarkable accuracy. We have 

 noticed the following errata : — 



Page viii, line 8, for Illinois read Wisconsin. 



— 294, bottom line, for or read of. 



— 314, line 5 from bottom (Notes), for N. G. Green 



read N. E. Green. 



XXXIX. Proceedings of Learned Societies. 

 GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 

 [Continued from p. 162.] 



January 13, 1886.— Prof. T. G. Bonney, D.Sc, LL.D., F.E.S., 

 President, in the Chair. 

 nPHE following communications were read : — 

 -*- 1. " On some Eish-remains from the Tertiary Strata of New 

 Zealand." By James W. Davis, Esq., F.G.S. 



2. " On a recent Section through Walton Common, exposing the 

 London Clay, Bagshot Beds, and Plateau-gravel." By W. H. 

 Hudleston, Esq., F.R.S., F.G.S. 



During the past autumn the widening of the line between Walton 

 and Weybridge stations has afforded a very interesting section in the 

 above beds, showing their relations to each other with considerable 

 clearness. Walton Station is 68 feet above O.D., and immediately 

 to the westward the section described in the paper commences, the 

 surface of the country gradually rising to a height of about 120 feet 

 in the plateau which separates the drainage of the Mole from the 

 drainage of the Wey. This plateau is connected on the south by a 

 slope with the higher and far narrower plateau of St. George's Hill, 

 having an elevation of 245 feet. 



For convenience of reference the portion of the section more par- 

 ticularly described, and which has a length of 1070 yards, is divided 

 into four blocks : — 



Block A extends from Walton Station to where the unaltered 

 London Clay is seen — 313 yards. 



Block B extends from this to the point where the Bagshot beds 

 are first seen in situ — 345 yards. 



