58 



THE GEOLOGIST. 



placed them in a jar of water, with two live sticklebacks 

 {Gasterosteus tracharus, Cuv.) he found that the latter com- 

 menced devouring the cypris ; on reversing the experiment, 

 he obtained the opposite result ; hence he concludes that the 

 genus Cypris, not only afforded food to fishes, but it acted 

 the part of a scavenger in removing putrid animal matter 

 from our fresh waters ; hence also he deduces a satisfactory 

 argument as to occurrence of detached scales, teeth, &c. of 

 fish; but whether the Cypris, of the fossil remains of which 

 he had found such abundance in the carboniferous strata, 

 lived in fresh or salt water, it was difficult to say ; but the 

 occurrence of sauroid and squaloid fishes appeared to indi- 

 cate a marine rather than fresh water origin. It was, how- 

 ever, interesting to discover the provisions made by the 

 Creator to have been then the same as now. From the oc- 

 currence of the same fossil fishes, from the Ardwick lime- 

 stones to the lower coal measures of this deposit — strata 

 500 yards in thickness — we must conclude that they existed 

 during the vast length of time necessary for the formation 

 of the whole of these strata ; but that some causes came into 

 operation at intervals during the formation of the beds of 

 limestone and bituminous schists, which caused their de- 

 struction. 



On the motion of Dr. Black, seconded by Mr. J. Moore, 

 F.L.S. a vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Binney for his 

 valuable and interesting paper ; and the usual forms having 

 been complied with, the meeting adjourned. 



DUDLEY AND MIDLAND GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



The first general meeting of the members and friends of 

 this society was held in the Free Grammar School, Dudley, 

 on January 17th, 1842. The Rt. Hon. Lord Ward in the 

 chair. 



