366 
THE GEOLOGIST. 
occurred on the night of the 7th of May, or the morning of the 8th, during 
about an hour. At sunrise fine dust fell, at first white, afterwards red ; the 
day was pitch-dark ; and the dust was nearly kneedeep. On the 9th the fall of 
dust abated; and at night fire and smoke were seen issuing from Jebel Dubbel, 
a mountain about a day's journey inland, and sounds like the firing of cannon 
were heard. At Perim these sounds were heard at about two a.:m. on the 8th, 
and at long inter\-als up to the 10th or 11th. The dust was also met with at 
sea ; and along the entire coast of Yemen the dust fell for several days.. 
Several shocks were felt on the 8th at Mokha and Hodaida. 
6. "Notice on the occurrence of an earthquake on the 20th of March, 1861, 
in Mendoza, Argentine Confederation, South America." By C. Murray, Esq. 
Communicated by the President. 
At about a quarter to nine o'clock, the first shock, preceded by a thunder- 
clap destroyed the city of Mendoza, killing (it is said) two-thirds of its sixteen 
thousand inhabitants. Altogether there were eighty-five shocks in ten days. 
The land-wave appears to have come from the south-east. Several towns south- 
east of Buenos Ayres felt slight shocks. No earthquake took place at Chile ; 
but travellers crossing the UpsaUata Pass of the Cordilleras met with a shower 
of ashes ; the pass was obstructed by broken rocks, and chasms opened on all 
sides. At Buenos Ap-es, three hundred and twenty-three leagues from Mendoza, 
and elsewhere, it was observed in watch-makers' shops that the pendulums 
moving north and south were accelerated ; those moving east and west were 
not aft'ected. 
7. ' On the increase of Land on the Coromandel Coast." Bv J. W. Dykes, 
Esq. In a Letter to Sir C. Dyell, P.G.S. 
Li the districts of the Kistna and Godavery, the land presents a parallel series 
of ridges and hollows near the coast, not in relation to the rivers but to the 
coast-line. These may now be formed by sedimentary deposits similar to what 
are now taking place on the Coromandel coast. By the strong cun-ents 
alternately running north and south, according to the monsoons, lines of sedi- 
ment parallel with the coast are formed ; and by the occasional interference of 
winds and tides dams are thrown across the hoUows, and the latter soon become 
fiUed up. These parallel bauds of coast-land become, in time, upheaved and 
more or less afi'ected by atmospheric agencies. 
NOTES AND QUERIES. 
pTEEAsris Be^iaixs at Cradlei. — Dear Sir, — Since the appearance of 
Mr. Hoberts' interesting paper in " The Geologist," on " The Geographical 
Distribution of Pteraspis," &c., I have visited one of the quarries mentioned 
by him, namely, at Cradley. I cannot coincide Avith Mr. Roberts, when he 
says that " from Cradley only fragments of scutes may be obtained," and that 
" good scutes are of rare occurrence." On the contrary it is my opinion, and 
that of a celebrated geologist who is well acquainted with aU the Herefordshire 
fish-quarries, and who accompanied me to this spot, that this quarry, if not t/ie 
most, is at least one of the most productive quarries of Herefordshire. The 
number of Pteraspis there is something astonishing. Every block one turns 
contains three or four fine specimens. Not only can "good scutes" be 
obtained, but specimens with both the rostrum and lateral cornea attached are 
