12 
THE MEDITERRANEAN NATURALIST 
What the origin of the torrential volumes of | 
water was, that thus denuded down the face of the 
country I have not now the opportunity of dis- 
cussing. | 
It would seem, however, that at the time that 
these deposits were laid down, Gozo greatly ! 
exceeded its present limits, and that it was j 
watered by rivers of considerable volume. Indeed I 
it is not improbable that the Maltese Islands then 
formed a part of the continent of Europe, and 
that these beds were deposited by the freshets 
that periodically deluged the country in conseq- 
uence of the melting of the snow-fields and of 
the mer de glace that then occupied the greater 
portion of the continent of Europe. 
J. H. Cooke 
<<OCOOOCCOO< 
NOTES AND NEWS. 
To the first part of the current volume of the 
Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of 
London Mr. A. W, Waters, F.G.S., has contributed 
an excellent article on the Bryozoa of Northern 
Italy , in which he has added considerably to the 
results that have already been obtained by Rem s, 
Gottardi, Suess, and others who have worked on 
the same subject. 
The specimens that he has figured and described , 
were collected by himself from localities in the I 
Yincentine, at Val diLonte, Montecchio, Maggiore, I 
Brendola, Malo and Priabona; and also from near 
Ferrari di Monte Baldo, The paper is illustrated 
with four well executed lithographs. 
Professor Striiver lately announced, in a commu- 
nication to the Academy of the Lincei, that he had 
detected the presence of the mineral BrooJdte in 
the earth of some caves near Beura in the Ossola 
valley. 
His discovery is of much interest, as, hitherto, 
the presence of this mineral in Italian strata has 
been unknown. 
At Mont Dol in Brittany a remarkable discovery 
was lately made in a surface accumulation that 
extends over an area of about 1900 square metres. 
The teeth and bones of nearly one hundred 
elephants were exhumed, the latter of which were 
found to be much broken and charred. 
The matter is now engaging the attention of 
several able geologists and paleontologists, as, 
judging by the condition of the splintered bones 
and their surroundings, some important evidences, 
having reference to prehistoric man, are expected 
to be forthcoming. 
In the number of “Nature" dated March 26th 
1891 there is an interesting biography, and an ex 
cellent engraving of the great French savant L. 
Pasteur. 
In the January number of the “Neptunia” an 
Italian zoological magazine published at Venice 
there is an interesting article on the zoological 
work that has been done in the marine laboratory 
of Luc-sur-Mer in Normandy. 
This station owes its origin to Prof. Deslong- 
champs of the Faculty of Sciences at Caen, who 
established it in 1883. During the seven years 
that it has been in existence it lias been succes- 
sively under the direction of Profs. Delage and 
Lafline by whom much valuable work has been 
done, the results of which have appeared in the 
Transactions of several of the French scientific 
societies. 
Among the many articles that have already 
appeared we note a memoir “On the organization 
of the Choetoptera” by Prof. Laffine; “Researches 
on the sponges of the Manclie” by M. Topset; “On 
the Inkbag of the Mollusca” by M. Leteilier, and 
an account of the work that is being done at the 
zoological station at Rapallo. 
In the Quarterly statement that has just been 
issued by the Palestine exploration fund there are 
two papers that are of special interest. The one 
on land tenure, and agriculture in Syria and Pales- 
tine by the Rev. G. E. Post, and the other by Mr. 
James Glaisher F. R, S. in which a comparison 
between the highest and lowest temperature of 
the air, and the range of temperature in England 
and Palestine during the last ten years ending 
1889, is given. 
At the last meeting of the Entomological Society 
of London a paper was read by Mr.G.C. Champion 
entitled “On the Coleoptera collected by Mr. J. J. 
Walker R.N. in the neighbourhood of Gibraltar, 
with descriptions of new species. 5 ’ 
Exchange Column. 
Notices arc inserted in this column free of charge. We 
request that all exchanges may be signed with name (or 
initials) and full address at the end. 
I am desirous of exchanging minerals from Ve- 
suvius, Ischia, and the Phlegroean Fields, for mi- 
minerals of any kind, and igneous, or rare and 
uncommon metamorphic rocks. (Standard size 
for rocks is 10 x 12 centimetres). 1 also wish for 
photographs or pictures of physical geology and 
especially of Volcanoes and volcanic rocks, and 
can otter in return photographs of Vesuvius, of 
the Naples volcanic district, and of Iceland. 
I can offer my own publications on Vulcanologv 
and Seismology, for others. 
Dr. Johnstoae-Lavis, 7 Chiatamone. Naples. 
Italy. 
