156 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



which traverse the lower region of Moray from west to east, indicated a 

 process of accumulation by drifting, rather than that slow and regular 

 deposition which is indicated in the lower red sandstone beds, where con- 

 glomerate, shale, and fine-grained sandstones are alternately super- 

 imposed, — a condition always favourable to the existence of organic 

 remains either of plants or animals ; while the drifting process, which 

 carried the land reptiles into the sea, was unfavourable to the preservation 

 of fishes. Lastly, allusion was made to the recent discoveries of vege- 

 table remains of Lepidodendrons, Lycopodiums, and others analogous to 

 those of the coal strata in the true Devonian sandstones of Canada, by Mr 

 Dawson, and of similar fossil plants found in the Caithness slates, by Mr 

 Salter, — all indicative of dry land, and the progress of organic life during 

 the period of the Devonian Sea, 



III. Contributions to the Fauna of Old Cctldbar—Mammah. By 

 Andrew Murray. 



This paper was chiefly occupied with a list and notes relat- 

 ing to the various animals, of which specimens had been sent 

 at different times by the United Presbyterian missionaries 

 stationed at Old Calabar, among which were the following:—* 



Troglodytes niger — The Chimpanzee. 



With reference to a specimen of this animal which had been 

 brought away alive by the Kev. Mr Baillie, but which unfortu- 

 nately died on the passage home, Mr Murray remarked, that 

 it had been preserved by Professor Goodsir, in a way which, if 

 it should prove successful, was well worthy of adoption, in cases 

 where the rarity or value of the specimens might justify the 

 expense. The plan was to place it in spirits in a glass tank 

 or coffin as it were, covered with glass hermetically sealed 

 down. This is an enlargement of the plan devised by Goadby 

 for the display of his minute dissections ; but as in his little 

 glass boxes, so here, the difficulty to be contended against was 

 leakage. Do what one can leakage seems almost always 

 to occur after a certain lapse of time ; but this could be con- 

 quered if by no other means, at all events by soldering the 

 glass together by the blow-pipe ; so that where it is desirable 

 to have recourse to this plan, this difficulty in the manipula- 

 tion need prove no insurmountable obstacle. 



Mr Murray detailed some anecdotes relating to the indi- 

 vidual in question, which had been communicated to him by 

 Mr Baillie, illustrative of the kind and extent of intellect 

 possessed by it. For example — It was very fond of some sweet- 



