60 



THE GEOLOGIST. 



rator). Trois autres proboscidiens out vecu dans l'Amerique du nord 

 pendant la periode post-pliocene ou quaternaire ; ce sont YElephas Ame- 

 ricanus, que M. Leidy considere comme etant distinct de YE. primi genius, 

 YE. Columbi, Falc, des Etats du Sud et du Mexique, et le Mastodon 

 Ohioticus, que quelques auteurs supposent avoir ete contemporain des 

 premiers bommes qui se sont etablis dans cette region du globe." Whilst, 

 however, I decline to offer any opinion whether the tooth figured by Meek 

 may be referable to the E. imperator of Leidy, from Niobrara, I copy 

 Dana's woodcut in the margin. 



I have previously and frequently expressed the utmost deference to the 

 palseontological authority of Dr. Falconer, whose constant study of the fossil 

 specimens, thorough knowledge of the habits and food of the existing In- 

 dian elephant, and exhaustive acquaintance with proboscidean bibliogra- 

 phy, must command respect amongst comparative anatomists. The fore- 

 going remarks have, however, been called for to re-assert my title to be the 

 first who directed attention to the " Bollaert molar," and to claim the un- 

 doubted privilege of every scientific man to describe any species of which 

 no full, complete, and accurate definition has been previously promulgated. 



Yours truly, 



C. Carter Blake. 



©bttaarg Notice, 



LUCAS BAEEETT, F.G.S., 



DIRECTOR OF THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE BRITISH W r EST INDIES. 



The last West India mail brought letters and papers announcing the 

 premature loss of this amiable and accomplished naturalist, so lately 

 among us taking an active part in the proceedings of the British Associa- 

 tion at Cambridge, 



He left England on the 17th of October last, and returned to Jamaica, 

 accompanied by Mr. W. P. Colchester, eldest son of the gentleman who has 

 for some years been the contractor for all the fossil phosphates of the 

 Crag district and Cambridgeshire. He had formerly made a few very 

 promising dredgings on the coast, at considerable depths ; and being 

 anxious to explore those portions of the sea-bed (between low- water and 

 the limit of coral — perhaps about 15 fathoms) which are inaccessible to 

 the dredge, he took out with him a diver's dress and pumping apparatus 

 of the most approved construction, such as Mr. Heinke has supplied to all 

 the stations of the Peninsular and Oriental Company, and which has been 

 so successfully employed in recovering the wrecks of the 'Malabar,' 

 ' Colombo,' and ' Eoyal Charter.' Dr. Bowerbank, of Kingston, writes 

 word that he met Mr. Barrett on the 18th December last, in the House of 

 Assembly, where he had gone to give evidence before a committee. He 

 then told Dr. B. that he had been down the day before (in his diving-dress) 

 in shallow water, and had succeeded well, and intended trying deeper 

 water for the purpose of examining the coral reefs. Dr. Bowerbank 

 begged him to wait till he could go with him ; but he replied that " he 

 would see." Other friends also warned him not to go, and offered to 

 accompany him if he would defer it for a da) 7 ; but he went, attended only 

 by the boat's crew of negroes and his (negro) servants. Mr. Colchester 

 happened to be away at the time, at the Pedro Keys. He says that 

 " according to the evidence given by the men, Mr. Barrett went direct 



