132 Proceedings of the British Association, 



above alluded to, enclosing more than two-thirds of the circumference 

 of the Globe, to be suddenly elevated, we should find the remains of 

 fish scattered over it to be everywhere very nearly alike, — the species 

 having a local distribution being comparatively few and unimportant. 

 These spoils of fish would, of course, in accordance with the obser- 

 vation of Prof. E. Forbes, be associated with very various assem- 

 blages of mollusks and other marine animals, according to the depth 

 at which the deposit took place. This was an important fact for the 

 science of Geology. 



Mr. W. Thompson expressed his surprise at the number and 

 apparent completeness of the lists given by Dr. Richardson. — Mr. 

 Ogilby thought the views of the reporter of the greatest importance 

 in a geological point of view. It opened up a new field for both 

 zoological and palseontological inquiry. As far as the geographical 

 distribution of fishes was concerned, those of the fresh-water offered 

 the greatest facility for study, as they could not pass from one point 

 to another, on account of the ocean. — The Bishop of Norwich related 

 several facts, showing that the spawn of fishes may be conveyed from 

 one country to another over the sea. He knew an instance in which 

 the ova of the pike were deposited in the thatch of a cottage, and 

 after having remained there for years, on the thatch being thrown into 

 a dry ditch, which afterwards became filled with rain, young pike 

 appeared. — Dr. Richardson stated that, in many zones of the earth, 

 the same fishes appeared in the same parallels. It was not so over 

 the Atlantic, where a deep sea intervened. The two sides of the 

 Atlantic contained different fishes. 



The Secretary, Mr. Wollaston, read a paper ( On the Periodical 

 Appearance of certain Birds in North Wales.' 



Dr. Macdonald read a paper ' On the Unity of Organization as 

 exhibited in the Skeletons of Animals/ 



The Secretary read a paper from Mr. Bonomi, ' On a gigantic 

 Bird sculptured on the Tomb of an Officer of the Household of 

 Pharaoh.' " In the gallery of organic remains in the British Museum 

 are two large slabs of the new red sandstone formation, on which 

 are impressed the footsteps or tracts of birds of various sizes, appa- 

 rently of the stork species. These geological specimens were obtained 

 through the agency of Dr. Mantell from Dr. Deane of Massachusetts, 



