142 



Anniversary Meeting. 



[Nov. 30, 



navian arc -measurement at Spitzbergen, I need scarcely say with what 

 interest such an undertaking would be regarded by this country and by its 

 Eoyal Society. 



With reference to the operations of the Committee, appointed at the 

 Nottingham Meeting of the British Association, for the Exploration of the 

 Tertiary Plant-beds of North Greenland, it was stated in my last Address 

 that a large collection of fossil plant-remains had been brought from 

 Greenland by Mr. Edward Whymper. 



The entire collection has been sent, for examination and description, to 

 Prof. Oswald Heer, of Zurich, who has already published a work, ' Flora 

 Fossilis Arctica,' containing the results of his examination of the fossils 

 brought at various times from Greenland and other parts of the arctic 

 regions and deposited in the museums of this country and of Denmark and 

 Sweden. 



The Committee, finding that their funds were exhausted, made a fresh 

 application to the Government-Grant Committee, and received an ad- 

 ditional sum to defray the expense of carriage of the specimens to and 

 from Zurich. 



The collection was forwarded to Switzerland at the end of last year ; 

 and within the last week Prof. Heer has sent the description of the fossils 

 to London, with the view of submitting it to the Royal Society. 



The localities which were examined by Mr. Whymper were situated on 

 the shores of the Waigat, at two points on Disco Island, and at Atane- 

 kerdluk, on the mainland of Greenland. 



From Disco, whence specimens had only once been obtained before (by 

 Dr. Lyall), 14 species were procured. Among them the occurrence of two 

 cones of Magnolia present the greatest interest, as they prove to us that 

 an evergreen, such as Magnolia, could ripen its fruit at the high north lati- 

 tude of 70°. 



The collection from Atanekerdluk is especially rich, but this locality 

 was well known before ; the number of species from it in this collection 

 is 73. Among the most important of these are the flowers and fruit of a 

 Chestnut, proving to us that the deposits which contain them must have 

 been formed at different seasons, corresponding to the times of flowering 

 and fruit of the Chestnut. 



The collection is not rich in animal remains; however, some insects 

 have been noticed, as well as a freshwater bivalve, probably " Cyclas" 



The results of this expedition have been eminently satisfactory, whether 

 we look to the number of new species discovered, or to the additional facts, 

 confirmatory of previous determinations, which have been ascertained. 

 This latter remark is of special importance when we find that the identi- 

 fication of a tree by means of its leaves has been supported by the sub- 

 sequent discovery of its flowers and fruit. 



The number of fossil species of vegetable remains discovered iu Green- 



