Royal Institution of London. 
217 
tion of chalk, called the Paris basin, and forming the foundations 
on which that city is built, analogous to the clays on which 
London stands. Here Cuvier lirst discovered and described the 
Anoplotherium, Palceotlierium, and Clueropotamus. 
The Professor then briefly noticed the existence of similar cal¬ 
careous freshwater and marine deposits in the Isle of Wight, and 
adverted to the discoveries of Mr. Allen and Mr. Pratt. It was, 
however, remarked, that little is gained by comparison of eocene 
and existing mammals, excepting so far as these indicate a great 
change in the distribution of earth and sea, and an accompanying 
alteration of climate. With the last layer of eocene deposits, 
we lose in England every trace of the peculiar mammals of that 
period. A vast series of geological operations took place, from 
which the miocene strata resulted, before this country was again 
in a condition to sustain other mammalian races. Of these in¬ 
termediate operations, and of the contemporary mammals, we 
have only the evidence of continental geology. We have in this 
country traces of one species of mastodon, found in the miocene 
crag-deposits of Norfolk. In process of time, when this island 
had become the seat of freshwater lakes, in which molluscous 
shells were deposited, and during the changes which converted 
lakes into river-courses, there were in these deposits, and in con¬ 
temporaneous local drifts, remains of mammalian fauna: the 
mastodon had disappeared; but, of the Ungulo.ta, were traces of 
mammoth, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, urus, bison, bos, Mega- 
ceros, Strongyloceros, Hippelephas, reindeer, roe, horse, ass, 
wild boar;—of the Carnivora: lion or tiger, Machairodus, leopard 
and cat—liyeena, bears, wolves and foxes, badger, otter, polecat, 
weasel;—of the Insectivora : bats, moles and ahrews, Palceos- 
palax (large shrew mole, now extinct) ;—of Rodentia : beavers, 
rats and mice, lagomys ( Trogontherium , extinct);—of Cetacea : 
cachelot, narwhal, grampus, whales. 
The Professor then demonstrated, by the following proofs, that 
these remains had not been brought hither by any sudden and 
transient convulsion, but were relics of animals which had lived 
and died in this island in successive generations. 1. Vast 
numbers are found in tranquil freshwater strata. 2. The condi- 
