66 



HA RD WICKE' S SCIENCE- G OSSIP. 



although it had not previously been turned up on this 

 side of the English Channel. The specimen under 

 consideration was most probably a hibernated 

 example), Sympetrum vidgatum (very common, I have 

 seen this in great abundance at Heme Bay and else- 

 where), .S. meridionale (only two specimens of this 

 insect have ever been taken in this country, both in 

 the metropolitan district ; they were formerly included 

 in the celebrated collections of Messrs. Evans and 

 Wailes), S. Fooscolombii (this species has only been 

 captured in this country on three occasions, one of 

 which happened in the metropolitan district, a second 

 one occurring at Deal), .S. flaveolum (this has been 

 taken in several places in the vicinity of London. In 

 the year 1871 several examples were seen in the 

 Strand by Mr. McLachlan ; in the year mentioned 

 it was exceedingly common in the metropolitan 

 district), S. sanguineum (Birch Wood, Colney Hatch, 

 Coombe Wood, Deptford and Dover), Cordulia tznea 

 (occurs at Godalming in Surrey, and Woodford in 

 Essex ; several specimens have also been taken in the 

 neighbourhood of Hampstead), Gomphusvulgatissimus 

 (has been taken at Highgate, Coombe Wood, Dartford 

 and Dinmore Hill), G. Jlavipes (this magnificent 

 insect has never been known to occur in the metro- 

 politan district proper ; the only specimen which has 

 occurred in the British Isles was captured by Mr. 

 Stephens near Hastings, on the 5th of August 1818), 

 Cordidegaster annulatus (this large species is rare in 

 the neighbourhood of London), Anax formosus (has 

 occurred near Hertford, also at Southgate, Wands- 

 worth and Wimbledon Commons) Brachytron pratense 

 (not uncommon but local, Hertford, Hastings, etc.), 

 Aischna mixta (this very rare insect has been taken 

 at Godalming and Norwood in Surrey), ^£. cyauca 

 (common everywhere), sE. grandis (not uncommon 

 but local), AL. ritfcscois (the occurrence of this grand 

 insect in the metropolitan district is exceedingly 

 doubtful), Calopteryx virgo and C. splendens (abun- 

 dant everywhere), Lestes nympha (Wanstead in Essex, 

 etc.,), L. sponsa (Plaistow in Essex, etc.,), Platycnemis 

 pennipes (local), Enallagtna cyathigerutn (common), 

 Agrion pidchellum (very abundant), A. fiuella (very 

 plentiful everywhere), Ischnura elegans (very 

 common), Pyrrhosoma minium (very plentiful every- 

 where) and P. tcnrflum (local). It will be seen from 

 the above that the dragon-flies of the metropolitan 

 district present a very fine array of species, although 

 a vast deal has yet to be ascertained respecting their 

 distribution in this rich collecting-ground, as well as 

 in the rest of this country. 



THE GEOLOGY OF BARBADOS. 



THE importance attached to the report of Messrs. 

 Jukes-Browne and Professor Harrison on the 

 above subject, induces me to send you the following 

 notes bearing upon the same. 



For some years prior to the lamented death of 

 Mr. H. B. Brady, it was my good fortune to be in 

 constant contact with that gentleman by both inter- 

 views and correspondence, and it was no unusual 

 occurrence to receive consignments of material from 

 time to time for the purpose of examination, thus 

 assisting him in the mechanical part of the work, and 

 at the same time considerably benefitting my collec- 

 tion of Foraminifera. It was in this way the material 

 collected by the above-named gentleman came into 

 my possession. 



I do not think I shall be committing any breach of 

 etiquette if I give an extract from a letter received 

 with these deposits, as it throws a side-light on 

 the matter which probably would not otherwise be 

 known, it bears date August 16th, 1SS9, and is as 

 follows : 



"My friend Mr. Jukes-Browne, late of the Geo- 

 logical Survey, has been visiting Barbados and 

 brought home a large collection of rock specimens, 

 deposits, etc., of which it is of some importance to 

 trace the history. 



" He asked me to furnish him notes on the Fora- 

 minifera, and I, not quite knowing how far I was 

 committing myself, pretty much promised to do so. 

 Thereupon he sent me a dozen specimens, and I set 

 to work washing them, etc. etc. They were disin- 

 tegratable under treatment, but ! — but this is all that 

 can be said ; for the most partjhey were the most 

 refractory material I ever took in hand. I worked 

 at them more or less, I think, every day for a fort- 

 night — reducing ten of them to moderately satis- 

 factory conditions. But some of these, though 

 reduced in bulk from three or four ounces to less 

 than a drachm, still would be the better for further 

 washing. They are much more interesting, I sus- 

 pect, for their siliceous organisms than for their 

 calcareous remains, but with the former I have 

 nothing to do ; Mr. Hill, of the Geological Survey, 

 I believe, has worked at these. It is quite possible 

 some of these deposits contain no Foraminifera 

 at all." 



I received altogether nine packets of these deposits, 

 and on referring to my notes I find three samples 

 yielded fairly good results, three a very few specimens, 

 and the remainder were without any trace of Forami- 

 nifera. 



Since reading the report of the late meeting, as 

 published in Science-Gossip for January, I have 

 re-examined the type-slide I have of these mounts. 

 They are grouped as a whole without reference to the 

 particular beds from which they were taken, and the 

 subjoined list includes all the species which can be 

 clearly distinguished. The relative frequency of the 

 species is indicated by the letters c, common ; R., 

 rare ; v. R., very rare. I have also given the maxi- 

 mum and minimum depths at which similar species 

 were taken during the Challenger's survey, as given 

 in Mr. Brady's report. If we exclude the three 



