E IB>outbl\> Journal of natural Science. 
Vol. I., No. 8. MALTA, JANUARY 1st. 1892. 
CONTENTS. 
- — «■« — Page 
1 Remarks upon the Relationship of the Molluscan 
Fauna of the Red Sea and Mediterranean— Edgar 
A. Smith, F.Z.S. 109 
2 The Geological Photographs Committee of the 
British Association and its work. Ill 
3 Notes on Ant’s — Nest Beetles at Gibraltar and 
Tangier- J. J. Walker, R.N., F.E.S. 112 
4 The Latest Theory of V ol canoes. 113 
6 Cyprus— Lt. Gen. Sir R. Biddulph, G.C.M.G.. C.B. 114 
6 The Samos Fossil Mammals. 116 
7 Occurrence of “Chrysophrys” in the Malta Miocene. 118 
8 Observations on the Geology of the Maltese Islands 
by J. H. Cooke. 118 
9 Notes and News: — Learned societies France — “Ste- 
reodon Melitensis”— Expedition of the Yittor Pisani 
—Earthquakes in February— Destruction of the 
Mosquito— Fossil leviathans— Origin of the Canary 
—The Mediterranean as a tideless sea— Maltese 
Mammalian Fauna— “Rassegna delle Scienze Geo- 
logiche in Italia” etc. etc. . 122 
10 Discovery of the remains of a fossil whale near Citta 
Yecchia. 124 
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Remarks upon the Relationship of the 
Molluscan Fauna of the Red Sea and 
Mediterranean. 
Edgar A. Smith, E.Z.S. 
The subject of the relationship of the Faunas T 
the Mediterranean and Red Seas is most attractiv; 
and has been more or less fully discussed by R. A. 
Philippi, Paul Fischer, R. MacAndrew, A. Essex, 
and A. H. Cooke, 
Certain species have been regarded by some of 
these authors as common to the two seas, and 
has been conjectured by them that an inter 
mingling of the faunas of these seas has occurred 
in past ages when a junction of their waters ap- 
parently existed. Species which are commonly 
regarded as Mediterranean, and which occur in the 
Gulf of Suez, are supposed to have gradually 
migrated southward, and, when the two sea 
became separated, to have established themselves 
as permanent inhabitants of the warmer waters. 
Now, after a careful study of the geographical 
distribution of these species, finding that all exist 
also far east in the Indian Ocean, having a much 
greater range in this direction than through the 
Mediterranean and some distance into the Ath 
tic, and considering the Xndo-Pacific -character of 
the Red-Sea fauna, it seems to me equally or more 
reasonable to suppose that the Mediterranean 
specimens were derived from a Red-Sea source 
than vice versd. It may be urged in opposition 
■ to this theory, how is it that such and such species 
have been found at Suez only, and at no other 
part of the Red-Sea ? The answer to this is sim- 
ply, that the shores of the Red Sea hav onh 
been cursorily examined in a few place:-, and 1 
fully anticipate that, whenever other more sou- 
thern parts have been as well investigated as filie 
Gulf of Suez,- most of these species will be met 
with. Already two out of the eight have been 
recorded as far south as Assab. 
