BRITISH ASSOCIATION MEETING. 



313 



The author had the good fortune to discover in this grotto a rich deposit of 

 fossil bones comprising all the fossil Post-pliocene fauna of Sicily. But that 

 which renders this discovery highly interesting is the finding, 1st, of entire 

 jaws with their canine and molar teeth — ^tlie first evidence of the existence of 

 carnivora in Sicily ; 2nd, a fragment of a molar apparently of Eleplias Africanus, 

 the existence in Sicily of which ammal is confirmed by another fragment of a 

 molar from the " Grotte de I'Olivella." 



Lastly, in the " Grotte de San Teodoro" there have been found abundantly 

 stone-weapons of trachytic and phonolitic rocks, the form of some of which do 

 not permit us to doubt their human workmanship. I may remark here that the 

 stone-weapons as yet found in Sicily have been only found in those places 

 where the remains of deer and hog are accumulated. In the rich collection 

 made from this cavern, the author, with the aid of M. Lartet, has determined 

 the following species : — 



Carnivora. — Spotted Hysena; Bear, resembling the bromi bear of the 

 Alps {Ursus arctos)\ dog, wolf, fox, species much smaller than that of Prance. 



Rodents. — Porcupine, Rabbit. 



Pachyderms. — Elephas antiquns, E. Africanus ; Hippopotamus, two species ; 

 Siis, probably Sus scrofa, resembling the Sus of the north of Africa ; a soliped, 

 probably an ass. 



Ruminants. — Ox, of middle stature ; ox, small and lank ; deer, one or two 

 species ; sheep, or an allied ruminant. 

 Batrachians. — Large frog. 

 Birds. — Small species undetermined. 

 Marine Shells. — Ostrea larga, Cardium edule. 

 Land Shells. — Helix aspersa. 

 CopROLiTES of hyaena. 

 Also Stone Weapons. 



ON THE SELECTION OF PECULIAE GEOLOGICAL HABITATS BY 

 SOME OF THE BARER BRITISH PLANTS. 



By Rev. W. S. Symonds, F.G.S. 



The author requested the aid of his brother naturalists on the above interest- 

 ing subject, and remarked that he would be especially obliged by any com- 

 munications from, geologists and botanists during the ensuing summer and 

 autumn. 



He is engaged with his friend, the Rev. Mr. Purchas, in preparing a work 

 on the botany and geology of the county of Hereford, and had lately been 

 struck with the selection of peculiar geological habitats by some of the rarest 

 of our plants. He visited the rocks of Stanner, near Kingston, last month, in 

 company with his friend Captain Guise, and found a certain band of the 

 Stanner rocks clothed with Geranium sa?iguineum and Lychnis viscaria. They 

 also found the very rare Scelerantlius perennis. Now Lychnis viscaria grows onlj 

 in five out of the eighteen botanical provinces into which England and Scotland 

 have been subdivided. Stanner rocks are hypersthene greenstone, and Lychnis 

 viscaria has selected to grow upon a black basaltic dyke. It has also selected 

 a similar habitat on Salisbury Crags. Sceleranfhus perennis grows only in two 

 provinces in England and Scotland. It is remarkable that it should be found 

 on the isolated trap rocks of Stanner with Lychnis viscaria, associated with 

 Geranium sanguineum, neither of which are found within many miles of the 

 Stanner traps. 



VOL. III. 2 R 



