Molluscs from the Middle and Upper Ordovician succession of Girvan, SW Scotland are common and diverse in some localities. The mollusc fauna consists mainly of gastropods, bivalves and various univalved molluscs (mimospirids and tergomyans), along with scarcer polyplacophorans, rostroconchs and cephalopods. The present study gives an overview of the distribution and palaeoecology of bivalves, gastropods and univalved molluscs and compares them with mollusc faunas worldwide. Gastropods, mimospirids and tergomyans are present from the Darriwilian (mid Llanvirn) onwards in both siliciclastic and carbonate facies, and increase in diversity through the Sandbian (Caradoc) and into the Katian (Ashgill). Bivalves first appeared in Girvan in the late Darriwilian (early Caradoc) in deep water siliciclastic facies; where they continued to be more abundant and diverse than in equivalent carbonate facies. Molluscs are initially Laurentian in aspect, though peri-Gondwanan faunal elements occur, particularly during the Sandbian. The pattern of bivalve and gastropod diversity found in the Ordovician of Girvan generally follows that of the known global diversity for these groups.

According to the theory devised by Huygens, to explain the phenomenon of double refraction in Iceland spar, a pencil of light transmitted through that substance is divided into two pencils; the index of refraction for the one being constant, while for the other it varies with the inclination of the transmitted light to the optical axis of the crystal.

Dr Wollaston, in 1802, verified the spheroidal form of the wave of light, which Huygens had assumed to account for the refraction of the extraordinary pencil, by a careful experimental investigation, conducted by means of his elegant instrument for “examining refractive and dispersive powers by prismatic reflection.” In 1810, Malus, in his Théorie de la Double Réfraction, also demonstrated experimentally the accuracy of the Huygenian law for the extraordinary pencil. I have not had an opportunity of consulting the memoir of Malus, so as to know the precise nature of his experiments, with reference to the refraction of the ordinary ray; but the object of Dr Wollaston's researches was simply to prove the law of extraordinary refraction, and the constancy of the index of refraction for the ordinary ray, is therefore tacitly assumed by him.

Examples of the mechanisms involved in body fluid regulation by present-day crustaceans inhabiting variable salinity habitats are described using amphipod gammarids and the isopod Mesidotea (Saduria) entomon as models. Appropriately the species inhabiting the most demanding habitats have the greatest range and most sophisticated regulatory responses. Behaviour, micromorphology and physiology are all involved to a variable degree and, in the examples discussed, responses to salinity change seem finely tuned to countering the problems generated by particular environments. This applies both in the rapid responses to sudden alteration in salinity and to the longer term changes associated with acclimation to a new steady state condition. The isolation of populations and features of derived freshwater races are considered and the implications for the presumed physiological mechanisms of fossil forms discussed.

The neighbouring sites of Berești and Mălușteni (Eastern Carpathian Foreland, eastern Romania) have yielded the most abundant and taxonomically diverse Pliocene vertebrate assemblages described so far from the entire country. Some of the small mammals found here were described as new taxa, and occasionally reassessed during the past one hundred years, but most of the material collected initially remained unrevised. Here, we provide a taxonomic revision of all the small mammal material (insectivores, rodents, and lagomorphs) that could be found in three main collections. The studied specimens were assigned to the insectivore families Desmanidae (Desmana verestchagini and Talpa sp.), and Erinaceidae (Erinaceus sp.); to the rodent families Muridae (Mimomys sp. or Promimomys sp.; Allocricetus sp.), Sciuridae (Spermophilus cf. nogaici), Spalacidae (Pliospalax macoveii), and Castoridae (Trogontherium minus, Castor fiber); and to the lagomorph families Leporidae (Trischizolagus dumitrescuae) and Ochotonidae (Ochotona ursui). Compared to the faunal assemblages described from Central-Eastern Europe, the identified taxa (some confirmed, others reassessed as synonyms) support an Early Pliocene age for the vertebrate assemblages from Berești and Mălușteni. Both faunal assemblages are assigned to the Ruscinian, with the faunas from Berești being considered geologically slightly older than the ones from Mălușteni.

The Cumbrae islands are unmatched for study of minor intrusions associated with the Early Carboniferous Clyde Lava Plateau. The transitional to subalkaline rock suite is present in a linear swarm of c. 250 ENE to NE dykes – 82 ‘basaltic’ (basalt to hawaiite) and 18 ‘trachytic’ (benmoreite to felsite), with a crustal dilation of 13·3. This swarm provides a unique window on the shallow crustal feeder system of the lava plateau. A ‘trachytic’ secondary swarm, focused on the plateau volcano of Misty Law in the Renfrewshire Hills, is analogous to a similar swarm in the Campsie Fells linked to the Meikle Bin volcano, and a ‘basaltic’ secondary swarm, unusually dense, with crustal dilation of 24·7, may record projection of the Dumbarton–Fintry Volcano–Tectonic lineament from the Campsie and Kilpatrick hills into the Firth of Clyde. Accompanied by bosses, plugs, vents and sheeted structures, the swarms are inferred to overlie fracture systems in the Caledonian basement of the Midland Valley. Internal relationships among extrusive and intrusive rocks of the Early Carboniferous suite and external relationships to dyke suites recording regional tectono-magmatic events of Late Carboniferous and Palaeogene age allow formulation of a new relative chronology for magmatic activity in the western off-shore Midland Valley.

The following remarks on the dragon's blood tree of Socotra are intended to serve as introduction to Dr Dobbie's and Mr Henderson's paper on the red resin obtained from the tree, and to furnish a technical description of the plant which has not hitherto appeared. In my account of the Botany of Socotra, which will shortly be published by the Society, further remarks upon this interesting tree will be found, along with a figure.

During a series of experiments in which I was lately engaged, for the purpose of determining the law of the polarisation of light, by successive reflexions from plates of parallel glass, I observed that all the images of the luminous body which were formed by more than one reflexion, were crossed by parallel fringes of coloured light, when the two plates had a small inclination to each other; and that these fringes suffered considerable changes, by varying the position of the plate with regard to the incident ray.

The variety of Apophyllite to which I have given the name of Tesselite, from the beautiful combination of tesselæ which it exhibits in polarised light, is one of the most singular substances in the mineral kingdom. The agency of that species of light, indeed, seemed necessary to the developement of its peculiar structure; but I have since succeeded in confirming and extending my former results, by the application of the microscope; and have been led to observe several new phenomena, which not only throw much light on the structure and properties of this curious mineral, but which affect the fundamental principles of crystallography.

The investigations which I have at present the honour of submitting to the Royal Society, were suggested by the experiments which have been made of late years concerning the gravitation of terrestrial bodies, first, by Dr Maskelyne, on the Attraction of Mountains, and afterwards by Mr Cavendish, on the Attraction of Leaden Balls.

Cartilaginous fishes have a long evolutionary history dating back 440 million years and include model organisms in a number of fields of biological research. However, comparative developmental studies of these organisms, particularly neuroanatomical investigations, still remain sparse. Here, pre-hatching to adult developmental stages of the Little Skate, Leucoraja erinacea, are investigated using micro-computed tomography scanning in conjunction with staining procedures designed to improve visualisation of soft tissues. Within the ear, the anatomy of the skeletal labyrinth changes during ontogeny and differs substantially from the underlying membranous system, contrary to previous observations in sharks. Additionally, substantial morphological remodelling characterises the parietal fossa, which appears initially as a massive and hook-like structure and subsequently becomes slender and surrounded by soft tissue. The sizes of the vestibular system and neurocranium increase isometrically from pre- to post-hatching phases, and then exponentially after the post-hatching stages.

We present the bat assemblage from the early Miocene (MN4, 16.9–15.95 MY) basin of Ribesalbes-Alcora, which has yielded the remains of ten chiropteran taxa. Bat assemblages are rarely recovered in the fluvio-lacustrine fossil record. A bat species described in this work, Cuvierimops penalveri sp. nov., is a new form of a typically Oligocene free-tailed bat. In addition, the other molossids Hydromops helveticus, Rhizomops cf. brasiliensis, Chaerephon sp., Tadarida sp., and the vespertilionids Myotis cf. intermedius and Miostrellus aff. petersbuchensis, as well as undetermined fossils ascribed to the genera Submyotodon, Plecotus, and Rhinolophus are described. This is the first record of the genus Rhizomops in the early Miocene; the genus Cuvierimops is the first recording from the Neogene, while the ‘Lazarus taxon’ Chaerephon is the first fossil record of this genus, registered previously only in Holocene deposits. This bat assemblage with a high abundance of molossids is typical from the early Oligocene of western Europe, while in the early Miocene from Europe the molossids are scarce. The abundance of these bats is consistent with the presence of a tropical forest surrounding a paleolake. The fossils from the Ribesalbes-Alcora Basin represent the most complete bat assemblage of the Iberian Peninsula during this age, and significantly increase our knowledge about the early Miocene bats of Europe.

Helius spiralensis sp. nov., is a very peculiar species of the genus Helius (Diptera: Limoniidae), with a characteristic morphology of hypopygium not found in other representatives of this genus. This is the second Helius species described from Early Cretaceous Álava amber (Spain), and one of the oldest representatives of the genus.

Malacolite was first observed in Scotland by Dr Macculloch, who included it with the second sub-species, under the name of Sahlite.

He, in his different works, noted its occurrence—“near the church of Rodel in Harris,”- “in Tiree,”-“Glen Elg,”-“Glen Tilt,”-and “in Rannoch.” With his usual power he describes the occurrence, varieties, and even the crystalline form of the mineral,—the clearness and precision of his descriptions being only equalled by the utter want of precision and frequent mystifications as to their localities.

The above sentence conveys all the direct information which Dr Macculloch vouchsafes as to the five localities indicated by him, though in a vague manner he may occasionally lead one to conjecture that certain particular spots are meant.

By the time that the mineralogist, led by Dr Macculloch to Glen Elg, Tiree, or Rannoch, has walked some twelve or twenty miles in an unsuccessful search, he begins to think that if he be successful, he has some claim to be himself regarded as an independent discoverer.

Pipe-shaped breccia bodies associated with diorite intrusions are composed mainly of angular clasts of local schists with a few transported clasts of quartzite. Plate shaped fragments are commonly oriented to define planar fabrics in the breccias. These features indicate the operation of gas fluidisation within the pipes and both entrainment and expanded bed conditions are inferred. The fabrics result from the collapse of the fluidised suspensions as the gas flow declined. Dilational fracture patterns in the country rock comparable with the stress release patterns found around mine shafts can be matched with the fractures required to produce the angular schist clasts. It is concluded that fracturing and the introduction of fragments into the fluidised breccia system was a continuous process and that the pipe diameter increased progressively with time. Microdiorite sheets and related stock like bodies of diorite cut and metamorphose the breccias. Compaction, hornfelsing and hydrothermal alteration also contributed to breccia formation.

Malpighi was the first to announce that all secreting glands are essentially composed of tubes, with blind extremities. Müller, by his laborious researches, has brought this department of the anatomy of glands to its present comparatively perfect condition. Purkinje announced his hypothesis of the secreting function of the nucleated epithelium of the gland ducts, but made no statement to shew that he had verified it by observation. Schwann suggested that the epithelium of the mucous membranes might be the secreting organ of these surfaces. Henle described minutely the epithelium cells which line the ducts of the principal glands and follicles, but did not prove that these are the secreting organs. The same anatomist has stated, that the terminal extremities of certain gland ducts are closed vesicles, within which the secretion is formed, and which contain nucleated cells. Henle has not, therefore, verified the hypothesis of Purkinje, although he is correct in stating that the terminal vesicles of certain gland ducts are closed. It will be shewn, in the course of this paper, that the secretion is not formed, as Henle has asserted, in the closed vesicles, but in the nucleated cells themselves.

Agnostid trilobites are relatively abundant and taxonomically diverse in outer shelf facies of the Yangtze Platform and Jiangnan Transitional Belt regions of the South China Plate. Nine Arenig and Llanvirn species, representing at least five genera or subgenera in the Agnostidae, Diplagnostidae and Metagnostidae, are treated in a taxonomic review of the South Chinese Agnostida, based on new material from the Dawan and Kuniutan formations of W Hubei and the Zitai and Jiuxi formations of N Hunan. The new genus Han is established to incorporate the globally youngest known diplagnostid species. The new species Han solo, Geragnostus (Geragnostus) balanolobus and G. (G.) waldorfstatleri are established. G. carinatus is recognised as being based on inaccurately interpreted material, and is only tentatively retained within Geragnostus. Three further taxa represented by poorly preserved material are left in open nomenclature. The geographic distributions of different agnostid species across the South China Plate, and the endemicity to the palaeoplate displayed by all Arenig–Llanvirn South Chinese species, suggest that these agnostids at least were either benthic or epibenthic.

The ocean/sea-ice interaction of the Antarctic open ocean region is described through a one-dimensional model. The model includes processes responsible for maintaining stability in this marginally stable region and reveals the importance of the various processes controlling deep water formation/ventilation and sea-ice thickness and their sensitivity to climate change. This information is used to estimate changes, as they impact water column stability, induced by glacial conditions. Increased stability is conducive to greater ice cover and less deep water formation/ventilation; decreased stability conducive to the opposite.

Sensitivity studies show that the system is destabilised given: (1) shallowing of the pycnocline (induced by increased gyre vigor); (2) decrease in the ratio of heat to salt through the pycnocline (induced by introducing a colder and/or saltier deep water or by increasing the salinity of the surface water); (3) decreased pycnocline strength (induced by a fresher deep water or saltier surface water) and (4) increased atmospheric heat loss. Most of the assumed glacial conditions drive the system toward destabilisation, but the critical effect of changes in NADW characteristics depends strongly on the temperature and salinity of the replacement water. The importance of this deep water influence is evident today—as little as 3Wm−2 in the upper ocean heat balance or an additional 15 cm of ice growth is sufficient to overturn the water column in some regions.

The mountain of Gibraltar is situated in 36° 9' north latitude, and in 5° east longitude from Greenwich. It is the promontory which, with that of Ceuta upon the opposite Coast of Barbary, forms the entrance of the Straits of Gibraltar from the Mediterranean; and Europa Point, which is the part of the mountain that advances most towards Africa, is generally regarded as the most southern promontory in Europe. The form of this mountain is oblong; its summit a sharp craggy ridge; its direction is nearly from north to south; and its greatest length, in that direction, falls very little short of three miles. Its breadth varies with the indentations of the shore, but it no where exceeds three quarters of mile. The line of its ridge is undulated, and the two extremes are somewhat higher than its centre.

Notwithstanding the progress made of late years in animal chemistry in connection with comparative anatomy, I am not aware of any observations that have yet been published on the urinary secretion of fishes. The neglect of this inquiry probably has arisen from several circumstances,—the nature of the element inhabited, the peculiarities of the urinary organs, the difficulty of collecting the matter voided, and its having no well-marked distinctive qualities obvious to the senses.

For some years, as leisure and opportunities offered, I have given attention to the subject, and in the paper which now I have the honour to submit to the Society, I beg to communicate the observations I have made. Few and imperfect as these are, they are given mainly with the hope of attracting notice to the inquiry and of inducing others more favourably situated to engage in its prosecution.

This paper sets out some of the economic factors underpinning Scotland's move to a low-carbon economy. Economics matters, since it addresses the costs of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the costs of climate change impacts, and the economic factors that motivate individuals' behaviour and the behaviour of businesses. All of these are important in understanding the barriers to meeting targets and to successful adaptation, and in thinking about how these barriers can be lifted. We discuss the relative merits of market mechanisms such as carbon taxes and cap-and-trade, the cost of including additional targets, and the issue of counting carbon embedded in imported goods. An efficient way of achieving carbon reductions is to widen the scope of carbon trading to include forestry, transport and agriculture. Energy efficiency in businesses and households and adaptation to climate change are a priority, because the benefits will be felt in the short term and at the local level.