474 



THE GEOLOGIST. 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Coal-Measures near Shrewsbury. — The geologists of the neighbour- 

 hood of Shrewsbury would confer a favour on a correspondent of the 

 ' Geologist,' if they would forward by letter to the Editor, a few small 

 pieces of the shale and limestone of the Upper Coal measures containing 

 the Cypris inflata, described by Murchison, in his * Silurian System,' p. 84, 

 and in ' Siluria' (2nd edit.), p. 322. 



British Association Eeport. — Dear Sir, — In the last part of the 

 ' Geologist ' you have made me the author of some remarks on Professor 

 Harkness and Sir Roderick Murchison's paper " On the North-West 

 Permians " (Sec. C. Brit. Assoc.), which were really uttered by Mr. Howse. 

 I made no observations at all on the subject. Will you be good enough 

 to correct the mistake in your next part ? 



Also in your report of Mr. Atthey's and my paper " On Animal Fossils 

 from the Northumberland and Durham Coal-measures," it is stated that 

 Messrs. Jones and Davidson are of opinion that the fossil from near Clax- 

 heugh is not a Discina, whereas they are of opinion that it is a Discina. 



Believe me, yours faithfully, 



J. W. KlRKBY. 



Sunderland, 26th Oct., 1863. 



Gamahes. — " We have already said that they are found in three sorts of 

 things ; in stones, in plants, and in living creatures. Those that are found 

 in stones are called Gamahes ; a word derived, in my opinion, from 

 Camaieu, by which name, in France, they call all coloured agates ■ so 

 that from this particular name there is now made a general! appellation, 

 serving to expresse all sorts of figured stones." ..." Goropius Becanus, 

 speaking of this kind of Gamahe, assures us that he hath seen bones that 

 have been produced naturally within the bowels of the earth, which were 

 of a prodigious magnitude, though they were generated of other matter ; 

 and of this kind peradventure are those bones whose vast bignesse hath 

 caused people vainely to conclude that there have beene heretofore gyants 

 in the world ; so true it is, that for want of the true knowledge of the se- 

 crets of nature, men usually fall into most grosse errors. Now these em- 

 bossed figures that are found in stones are of two sorts : the first are 

 embossed round, as was the piece of rocke in forme of the Virgin Mary ; 

 and those bones that the earth naturally produceth, or only halfe-embossed, 

 such as were those rocks which Ortellius makes mention of, scituate in the 

 entrance of the most western part of Tartary : on which are to be seen the 

 figures of camels, horses, sheep, and many other things, the marvellous- 

 nesse whereof this geographer being not able to comprehend, he saies : 

 ' Hsec saxa, hominum, camelorum pecorumque caeterarumque rerum 

 formas referentia, Horda populi gregis pascentes armentaq. fuit : quae 

 stupenda quadam metamorphosi repente in saxa riguit, priori parte nulla 

 in parte diminuta.' And then, to make the story pass for a truth, he 

 addes : ' Evenit hoc prodigium, annis circiter 300 retro elapsis.' " — Guffarel. 



Fossil Birds. — The reference at p. 421 for the " head of an owl," in 

 the 32nd line, should be to PI. XXIV. fig. 1 ; and the reference at 

 p. 422, line 30, " copied in PL XXII. fig. 2, nobis," should be omitted. The 

 figure will be given in the next volume. The reference for Buttner's 

 figure of a nest, in the last line of p. 423, should be " PI. XXIII. fig. 3, 

 nobis." The printers have made a presumed emendation at p. 424, after 

 the revises left me for press, which alters my meaning entirely. The pre- 



