474 
THE GEOLOGIST. 
NOTES AND QUEEIES. 
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 injiata, 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 liave made me the author of some remarks on Professor 
Harkness and Sir E-oderick Murchison's paper " On the jN'orth-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. KiRKBY. 
Sunderland, ^UJi Oct., 186.3. 
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 generall 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 vaiuely 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 era- 
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 sales : 
* Hsec saxa, hominum, camelorum pecorumque cajterarumque rerum 
formas referentia, Horda populi gregis pascentes armentaq. fuit : quse 
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 pirciter 300 retro elapsis.' " — Giiffarel. 
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 PI. XXII. fig. 2, nohis" 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, 
nohisy The printers have made a presumed emendation at p. 424, after 
the revises left me for press, which alters my meaning entirely. The pre- 
