78 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



At the depth of 1120 feet the tools entered a set of beds of much 

 the same character as those that had been found beneath Jurassic 

 beds at Richmond, and beneath Gault at Kentish Town and at 

 Crossness. The softer and more clayey components were not brought 

 up ; the harder consist of fine-grained compact sandstones, greenish- 

 grey, sometimes with purplish mottlings or bandings, and here and 

 there wholly of a dull reddish tint. With these there occur hard, 

 clayey, and somewhat sandy beds, which are not calcareous, whilst 

 most of the sandstones are. Thin veins of calcite are sometimes to 

 be seen, and at others small concretionary calcareous nodules ; but 

 no trace of a fossil has been found. 



The bedding is shown, both by the bands of colour, and by the 

 tendency of the stone to fracture, to vary generally from about 20" 

 to 30°. 



In the absence of evidence it is hard to say what these beds are, 

 and the possibilities of their age seem to range from Trias to De- 

 vonian, It is to be hoped that this question may be solved, as on 

 it depends that of the possibility of the presence of Coal-measures 

 in the district • and Messrs. Docwra, the contractors of the works, 

 have with great liberality undertaken to continue the boring-opera- 

 tions at their own expense for at least another week. 



Details of the section will be given in a forthcoming Geological 

 Survey Memoir, in which, moreover, the subject of the old rocks 

 under London will be treated somewhat fully. 



The following communications were read : — 



1. " Notes on the Remains and Affinities of five Genera of Meso- 

 zoic Reptiles." By R. Lydekker, Esq., B.A., F.G.S. 



2. " Notes on the Radiolaria of the London Clay." By W. H. 

 Shrubsole, Esq., E.G.S. 



3. " Description of a new Species of Clupea (0. vectensis) from 

 Oligocene Strata in the Isle of Wight. By E. T. Newton, Esq., E.G.S. 



XI. Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



ON THE EXCITATION OF ELECTRICITY BY THE CONTACT OF 

 EAREFIED GASES WITH GALVANIC INCANDESCENT WIRES. BY 

 J. ELSTER AND H, GEITEL^. 



TN a series of experimental investigations published in "Wiede- 

 -^ mann's Annalen, the authors had treated the case of the 

 excitation of electricity ou the contact of gases and ignited bodies 

 for the case in which the gases were either under the pressure of 

 the atmosphere or under a pressure of at least 10 millim. mercury. 

 In the present investigation it is attempted to establish the pheno- 

 menon for very minute pressures. 



It results that, in accordance with previous results, using gal- 

 vanic incandescent platinum wires of over 0*2 millim. in thickness, 



* An experimental investigation made at the expense of the Elizabeth 

 Thompson Science Fund, Boston, U.S.A. 



