Geology and Natural History, 393 



Chemistry and its laws (pp. 21-33); by W. D. Bancroft on 

 Ternary Mixtures, II (pp. 34-50). The latter half of the num- 

 ber is occupied by book notices (pp. 51-58) and reviews of papers 

 (pp. 59-68). The Journal is to be issued monthly, except July, 

 August and September ; price $2.50 per year. 



II. Geology and [N'atural History. 



1. The geology of Somali-land. — The study at the British 

 Museum of fossils and rocks brought to England by members of 

 the James Expedition, has given Dr. Gregory the evidence for 

 interpreting the general features of the geology of Somali-land. 

 In an article in the Geological Magazine (vol. iii, p. 293)* for 

 July the following results are announced : 



" The Somali-land sequence .... consists of the following : 



1. Marine and subaerial recent deposits. 



2. Neocomian limestones and cherts. 



3. Duba limestone of uncertain age. 



4. Bathonian limestones of Bihin. 



5. Red and purple sandstones — unfossiliferous. 



6. Archean series. (Gneisses penetrated by pegmatite dykes, 

 etc.) 



The discovery of the Bathonian fossils is of great interest. 

 Bathonian rocks are known in Abyssinia from the work of Blan- 

 ford. Ferret and Galinier, Aubry and Douville. They are also 

 well known from the west coast of India in Cutch. They occur 

 in northern Somali-land, exactly on the line joining these two 

 localities. Mrs. Lort-Phillips' fossils are especially of value, as 

 Rochebrune, on the basis of Revoil's collections from Somali-land, 

 has disputed the accuracy of the determination of the Jurassic 

 age of the Abyssinian limestones. The presence of Bathonian 

 fossils in Somali-land, however, shows that, apart from the Abys- 

 sinian limestones, there are fossiliferous marine deposits of both 

 Lower Jurassic and Neocomian age in this region of East Africa. 



The occurrence of one species {Parallelodon Egertonianus 

 Stoliczka) in Somali-land and in India helps to strengthen the 

 idea of the former connection of the Bathonian rocks of India 

 and Somali-land, which is suggested by the apparent extension of 

 these rocks along an east and west line, from Cutch to Shoa. This 

 is of interest, as it throws light on the origin of the interesting 

 fauna and flora of the Golis Range. The report on the collection 

 of plants made in the Golis Range, published in the Kew Bulle- 

 tin of Miscellaneous Information (No. 105, September, 1895, pp. 

 211-30), shows that the flora of this district contains a very high 

 proportion of endemic species (69 species out of 350 were new). 

 This appears to be due to two reasons. In the first case, the 

 Golis hills appear to contain limestones, which support a more 

 varied flora than the soil formed by the weathering of the gneiss 



* A note on the Geology of Somali-land, based on collections made by Mrs. E. 

 Lort-Phillips, Miss Edith Cole, and Mr. G. P. Y. Aylmer. By J. W. Gregory. 



