32 



THE GEOLOGIST. 



4. " G-eological Notes on the Locality in Siberia where Fossil Fishes 

 and Estheriae were found by Dr. Middendorf." By C. E. Austin, Esq., 

 C.E., F.G.S. 



5. "Note on Estheria Middendorfii." By Professor T.Rupert Jones, 

 F.G.S. 



Two ancient stone axes from Trinidad, and one from Santa Cruz, were 

 exhibited by J. Lamont, Esq., F.G.S. 



December 17th. — 1. " On the Skiddaw Slate Series." By Professor 

 R. Harkness ; with a note on the Graptolites, by Mr. J. W. Salter. 

 Some general sections through the Skiddaw Slates were described in 

 detail, and the localities in which fossils had been previously found by 

 Professor Sedgwick were especially noticed. The author stated that he 

 had discovered several species of Graptolites new to the Skiddaw Slates 

 in certain flaggy beds almost devoid of cleavage, which occur at intervals 

 in the lower portion of the series, in several localities. Professor Harkness 

 showed that these rocks were much more fossiliferous than had hitherto 

 been supposed ; and that the evidence of the fossils, as interpreted by 

 Mr. Salter, clearly proved them to be of the same age as the Lower 

 Llandeilo rocks of Wales and the Quebec Group of Canada. The thick- 

 ness of the Skiddaw Slates was estimated at 7000 feet, and the total thick- 

 ness from the base of the Skiddaw Slates to the Coniston limestone at 

 14,000 feet. Besides several species of well-known Graptolites that are 

 also found in the Lower Llandeilo rocks and in the Quebec Group 

 (Taconic System), Mr. Salter has been enabled to identify Phyllograpsns 

 angustifolium, Hall, Tetragrapsus bryonoides, Hall, and another species of 

 that genus, Dichograpsus SedgwicM, n. sp., Didymograpsus caduceus, and 

 some others. He has given the name of Caryocaris Wrightii to a Crus- 

 tacean discovered in these rocks by Mr. "Wright. Mr. Salter considers 

 the Skiddaw Slates to be of the same age as the Quebec Group, the 

 graptolitiferous rocks of Melbourne, and the Tremadoc Slates of Wales. 



2. "On Fossil Estherice, and their Distribution." By Professor T. 

 Rupert Jones. The author pointed out the chief characters of the fourteen 

 species of Estherice obtained, from several geological formations ; and 

 stated that they belong mainly to the passage-beds, and he believed chiefly 

 to fresh and brackish waters. He also compared the distribution of the 

 twenty-two reeent species with that of the fossil Estherice. 



3. " On the Flora of the Devonian Period in North-Eastern America." 

 By Dr. J. W. Dawson. Dr. Dawson enumerated in this Appendix some 

 additional species of plants lately obtained from Perry, by Mr. Brown, of 

 that place. He also stated that recent observations have shown that the 

 beds spoken of in his paper as belonging to the Cattskill Group of New 

 York, really represent the Chemung Group of that State, according to 

 Professor J. Hall. 



Royal Society. — November 20th. — One of the largest meetings of the 

 Royal Society we remember to have seen. The attraction was Professor 

 Owen's paper on the remarkable fossil feathered animal which has lately 

 been added to the national collection — the Areluvopteryx meter ur us. 

 In his opening remarks Professor Owen detailed the circumstances attend- 

 ing the discovery of the first evidence of the class Birds in the Oxfordian 

 strata, being the impression of a feather, which was described by Hermann 

 von Meyer, wdio established for it the genus Archccopteryx. This name 

 was retained for the present feathered animal. On November 9, 1861, 

 Andreas Wagner communicated to the Mathematical and Physical Aca- 

 demy of Munich the account of the discovery of an animal with divergent 

 fans of feathers, with which he had become acquainted, on the authority of 



