COMMUNICATIONS 
TO THE 
MONTHLY MEETINGS 
OF THE 
YORKSHIRE PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, 
1879. 
October 7th. — Dr. Purves read a paper “ On the European 
Deposits of the Pliocene Age/’ with special reference to the 
fossils of that period in the Society’s Museum. He described 
the coralline, red, and Norwich crags of England, the crags of 
Belgium, the suh-Apennine beds of Italy, and the enoiTuoiis 
development of strata of the Pliocene period in Sicily, where, 
he said, deposits of that age might be seen dipping under the 
eastern base of Etna—a proof that the whole of that enormous 
volcanic pile had been accumulated since they had formed part 
of the Mediterranean floor, and yet they contained only five 
species of shells which were not now found living in that sea. 
He also explained the plan adopted in the arrangement of the 
general Ueological Collection of the Museum. 
November 4th. — Dr. Purves again read a paper on the 
‘^Pliocene Deposits of Europe.” He described in detail the 
sub-divisions of the sub-Apennine beds of the Italian peninsula, 
which, he said, from their immense development, the abundance 
and perfect state of preservation of their fossils, but, above all, 
from their presenting a complete, unbroken succession of strata, 
extending from the Miocene up to the post-tertiary periods, 
were entitled to be considered as the typical deposits of the 
pliocene age. Pie attempted to correlate these groups with 
those of Belgium and England, but pointed out that this could 
be done only in a very general manner, in consequence of the 
