1022 General Notes. [ December, 
ancient zoological distribution. Associated with the skeletons 
of the fishes are the remains of some new phyllopod and decapod 
crustaceans, which have been worked out by Mr. B. N. Peach, the 
acting palzontologist to the society. One of the most interesting 
features of this great find, however, is the abundant and often ad- 
mirably preserved specimens of scorpions, which have enabled 
Mr. Peach to work out in detail the structure of this interesting 
creature, doubtless the father of all spiders. In anticipation 
of the publication of Mr. Peach’s descriptions, Professor 
Geikie gives some notes on the subject. Mr. Peach finds 
has not been certainly observed, but that it existed may be 1n- 
ferred from the presence of the poison-gland which Mr. Peach 
has detected in the fossil state. The chief difference between the 
living scorpion and its ancient progenitors, lies in the fact that in 
the fossil forms the mesial eyes are much larger in proportion to 
the lateral ones, and also to the size of the whole animal. Thetwo 
mesial eyes are placed on an eminence near the anterior margin 
of the carapace formed by two converging tubes, and so arranged 
that the creature could look with them upwards, outwards and 
forwards. There are at least four lateral eyes on each side. The 
mandibles, palpi and four pairs of walking legs are beautifully 
distinct on many specimens. The combs are much like those of 
the modern scorpion, but with a very remarkable sculpturing 
which at once recalls that so characteristic of the Eurypterics- 
As regards theories of descent, these fossils afford no more help 
in tracing the pedigree of the scorpion than is furnished by the 
living form. There can be little doubt that the scorpion is the 
most ancient type of arachnid, whence the others have been 
derived.—London Times. 
STEGOCEPHALI IN SAXoNy.—Fossil remains of several species of 
Stegecephali have been discovered in the neighborhood of Dres- 
en, Germany. Professor Credner, of Leipzic, publishes in a 
Zeitschrift of the Deutschen Geologischen Gesselschaft for 1881, 
a first installment of descriptions of the species. This includes 
the Branchiosaurus gracilis Credner, which is represented by sev" 
eral well preserved skeletons. Branchiosaurus belongs t0 the 
_“ Microsaurian” subdivision. 
_ Fosstt Orcanisms 1n Merrorires—Dr. O. Hahn, who will 9s 
remembered for the part he took in the “ Eozodn” controversy, 
_ ¢laims to have established the existence of fossil organism® ier 
have been confi ni 
2 ae 
