Amongst the various interesting scientific events which this year has witnessed, none has probably been more heartily welcomed or more cordially honoured than the Jubilee of the Palæontographical Society, which was celebrated on the 19th June last.

During my excavations in the marshes of Sirabé (Vakinankaratra District, Central Madagascar), my assistant, Mr. A. Robert, came upon a small fragment of a right upper jaw of a mammal, containing the two anterior true molars, which presented the well-known pattern of the Old-World Cercopithecidæ. The presence of true monkeys, as contemporaries of the Æpyornis, in very recent deposits, appeared to be such an extraordinary fact that I anxiously looked forward for further and more conclusive evidence. This fortunately has since been forthcoming, by the subsequent discovery of more complete remains. Two of the most important pieces, viz. the anterior part of a skull, broken off behind the nasals and the molar series, and a left mandibular ramus, are here figured and briefly described.

Most of the recent advances in the knowledge of trilobitestructure have come from the study of Triarthrus. Since Valiant's discovery of the antennæ, and its announcement by Matthew in 1893, the writer has published a series of papers on the detailed structure of this trilobite. Much time has also been spent in carefully working out the numerous specimens from the abundant material in the Yale Museum. Altogether upwards of five hundred individuals with appendages more or less complete have been investigated; and at the present time, it may safely be said that the important exoskeletal features have been seen and described.

Since the famous expedition of the late F. L. and W. James, of E. Lort - Phillips and G. P. V. Aylmer, in 1884–5, opened the Somali plateau to European exploration, the country has been repeatedly traversed. A valuable series of geographical memoirs, hunting journals, and bluebooks has described the main features in the topography of the country, and given many suggestions as to its geological structure. The collections of Dr. Révoil and Prof. Keller have proved that Neocomian beds occur there, and thus have shown that it is of greater interest than most of the monotonous unfossiliferous wastes of East Africa.

It is a well-known fact that many islands in which there is no indigenous mammalian fauna, have been, and in some cases are still, inhabited by flightless birds, which are usually of considerable size. Mauritius and Rodriguez are good examples of such islands; in the former the dodo and aphanapteryx, in the latter the solitaire and erythromachus, existed at least as late as the beginning of the seventeenth century, when, owing to their inability to escape from their foes by flight, they fell easy victims to the crews of ships touching at the islands, and also to the various domestic animals, such as dogs, cats, and pigs, introduced by man.

In a collection of bird-remains sent to Dean Buckland from North Island, New Zealand, in 1842, Professor Owen noticed a tibia which he regarded as belonging to a very small species of Dinornis, to which he gave the name Dinornis otidiformis. A few years afterwards further material showed that this bird was not Dinornithine at all, but was probably a gigantic flightless rail, and it was therefore referred to a new genus, Aptornis. Subsequently, on the evidence of a nearly perfect skull, considerably larger than that of A. otidiformis, a second species, A. defossor, was described, and it is to this larger form that the fine skeleton figured on Plate X belongs. The bones from which this specimen was reconstructed were found in 1889, by Mr. W. S. Mitchell, in a chasm in the Limestone at Castle Rocks. Southland, New Zealand; together with them occurred more or less complete skeletons of Harpagornis (both species), Notornis, a large species of Fulica, allied to that recently discovered by Dr. H. O. Forbes in the Chatham Islands, a small Ocydromus, Stringops, Anas, Apteryx, and also Anomalopteryx didina and A. didiformis. A very interesting account of the mode of occurrence of these remains has been given by Mr. A. Hamilton, to whose papers those interested may be referred for further information on this point. The same writer has also given a brief description, with numerous measurements, of the bones of the species with which we are now concerned. It appears that the more or less perfect skeletons of several individuals were found mingled with one another; and, although the greater number of the bones constituting the present specimen no doubt belonged to a single bird, the missing ones have been replaced by portions of the other skeletons.

Among the Plesiosaurian remains recently mounted for exhibition in the Reptile Gallery at the Natural History Museum is a very fine pelvic-girdle belonging to a species of the genus Cryptoclidus (Seeley), and forming part of the same skeleton (Leeds Coll., R. 2616) as the pectoral-girdle recently described and figured by the present writer. These specimens are perhaps the most perfect known, the bones being quite uncrushed, free from matrix, and, except that they are cracked and broken to a slight degree, in much the same condition as if they had been obtained by maceration from a recent reptile. They clearly belonged to an old individual in which ossification had nearly reached its maximum: this is shown (1) by the complete union of the coracoid and scapula with one another in the middle line closing the coraco-scapular foramen; (2) by the sharpness of some of the edges of the bones, e.g. of part of the anterior border of the pubis; (3) by the great solidity of the bones, and by the accuracy with which the pectoral and pelvic elements fit together to form the glenoid and acetabular cavities respectively, showing that the cartilage which separates them in the young animal had been ossified.

The part of the province of Simbrisk lying to the north of Alatyr, in the angle between the Soura and the Alatyr rivers, is formed of Lower Cretaceous strata, chiefly Neocomian clays, covered by Boulder-clay (which is not rich in boulders), and part by Glacial and Æolian sands. The same Neocomian clay expands widely to the south and to the east from the town of Alatyr. Upon the northern border of the Alatyr valley, and on the right side of the Soura river, these clays are covered by ancient alluvial sands, deposited probably at the time when the great ice-sheet dammed the course of the Soura in the lower part of its valley, and caused colossal overflowings of its waters, the traces of which are preserved in the great masses of alluvial sands covered with fir wood, and much resembling the “Haidesand” of Northern Germany.

In 1853–6, when Mr. Sharpe published his monograph on the Cretaceous Cephalopoda of England, the various species were roughly placed according to the divisions of the Chalk formation as described by Conybeare and Philips. This, unfortunately, led to many mistakes: amongst others, Mr. Sharpe described Belemnitella mucronata as occurring “everywhere in the Upper Chalk of the South of England,” whilst Belemnitella quadrata is only noticed as occurring in the Middle Chalk of Kent, Surrey, and Sussex; the fact being that Belemnitella quadrata is not found in the Middle Chalk, and Belemnitella mucronata is restricted to the highest zone of the Upper Chalk.

For several years I have been engaged in investigating the Dinosaurs of North America, where these extinct reptiles were very abundant during the whole of Mesozoic time. The results of my study have been published from time to time, and I have already had the honour of presenting some of these to the British Association. In carrying out this investigation so as to include the whole group of Dinosaurs, wherever found, and bringing all under one system of classification, it has been necessary for me to study the remains discovered in Europe, and I have made several visits to this country for that purpose.

The important observations made by Mr. Lamplugh among the “crush-conglomerates” of the Isle of Man suggest that the phenomena described by him may have a much wider range than had previously been supposed. Ever since I had the opportunity of going over his Manx evidence with him, I have suspected that some of the fragmental rocks which I myself have regarded as volcanic agglomerates might prove to be due, not to volcanic explosions, but to the same kind of underground movements which have undoubtedly given rise to the enormous masses of “crush-conglomerate” in the Isle of Man. The breccias of Anglesey seemed to me likely on renewed examination to prove to belong to the latter series. Accordingly I recently took occasion to revisit these rocks, both in the centre and along the north coast of the island. The result was entirely confirmatory of my suspicions. The breccias in question are, I now feel convinced, true crush-conglomerates.

The Merjelen or Maerjalen Lake, situated at an altitude of 2367 metres (7750 ft.) above sea-level at the western flank of the Great Aletsch glacier, belongs to the class of glacier lakes which are found in depressions or valleys barred by glaciers whose direction of flow is more or less at right angles to the same. Like the majority of glacier lakes, it has the shape of an irregular triangle, the length being about 1.5 kilometre (nearly a mile), its greatest width 0.5 kilometre (550 yards), and its mean depth 28 metres (92 ft.). Hence its superficial area amounts to 375,000 square metres (438,000 square yards), and its volume at high-water level to about 10 million cubic metres or tons.

It is a noteworthy fact that, although Alpine glaciers have, during the last few years, not shown any very marked oscillations, the Central Alps have, since the year 1892, been annually visited by a disaster caused, directly or indirectly, by the bursting or falling of a glacier. Thus, in 1892, the Tête Rousse glacier of the Mont Blanc group swept away the Baths of St. Gervais; in 1893, the village of Taesch, between Viess and Zermatt, was devastated by the torrent of the Weingarten glacier, not far from the village of Randa, which was destroyed by a glacier avalanche in the year 1819; again, in 1894, the torrent of the Crête glacier (Grand Combin group, Rhone valley) suddenly poured its flood into the river Dranse, and thereby endangered the town of Martigny; while last year the record was swelled by the avalanche of the Altels glacier on the north side of the Gemmi Pass, in the Bernese Oberland.

The discovery by Keilhau in 1827 of Carboniferous fossils in Spitzbergen first called attention to the geological interest of this archipelago. The collections subsequently made by Robert during the voyage of the “Recherche” in 1838, by Loven in 1837, by Drasche in 1872, and by the series of Swedish expeditions under Baron A. E. von Nordenskiöld between 1858 and 1873, proved the occurrence of beds belonging to the Archean, Lower Palæozoic, Devonian, Carboniferous, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Miocene systems. The fossils collected by these explorers are now in the museums of Christiania, Paris, Stockholm, and Vienna; but up till the present the only collections in London are a few specimens of Devonian fish obtained by exchange, and of Carboniferous Brachiopods collected by Mr. Lamont. It was, therefore, part of the work of Sir Martin Conway's expedition to obtain a series of fossils to represent as fully as possible all the successive faunas and floras of this far northern archipelago. Previous work on the geology of Spitzbergen had, moreover, been carried out on the coast, and it was Sir Martin Conway's main object to explore the interior. These two considerations lessened the thoroughness of the geological study of the country and the extent of the collections, for we had to travel long distances to reach rocks of different systems, and transport of heavy geological specimens from the interior was difficult. Nevertheless, considerable collections were made, which, besides serving to represent the Spitzbergen fossils, will probably aid in the more exact correlation of the horizons from which they come, and throw light on the migrations of the faunas.

In studying the rocks of Shropshire, I have paid some attention to the superficial deposits that lie irregularly scattered over the solid strata in the northern half of the county. They had previously been noticed by Miss C. Eyton, in her little book “On the Geology of North Shropshire,” while special areas occupied by them have been described by Mr. G. Maw, Mr. C. J. Woodward, and Mr. A. C. Nicholson. Nevertheless, it seemed to me that it would be useful to present a summary of my own observations on the district in question, at the same time incorporating in my notes the most important results of the work of preceding geologists.

Some molluscan and other remains obtained by Miss Forbes and Miss Lowndes from a brick-pit exposure at Okeford Fitzpaine, near Shillingstone station, Dorsetshire, have recently been submitted to me for determination. They comprise two series of specimens indicative of the well-known Cretaceous zones of Acanthoceras mammillatum and Hoplites interruptus. Those from the former or earlier horizon were collected about nine years ago, whereas the others were obtained within the last few weeks. It will be convenient to name the species identified from the Acanthoceras mammillatum zone first, then to describe the beds constituting the whole of the section, and lastly to give a list of the fauna from the Hoplites interruptus zone.

For the convenience of students a first essay is here made to tabulate the European species of Etoblattina, the genus of Cockroaches most numerously represented in Carboniferous times, both in Europe and America. All the species described up to the present time are introduced, together with a new British species, a description of which is added. It will be seen that Deichmüller's var. Stelzneri (regarded by him as a form of E. flabellata) and Geinitz's var. dyadica (regarded by him as another form of the same) are considered distinct species; and that E. Rollei, Deichm., is not included, this last being more probably a Gerablattina. E. Peachii, Woodw., is also omitted, as the tegmina are undeveloped and therefore present no features which could admit it into the table. On the other hand, Blattina intermedia, Gold., formerly described by me as a Gerablattina, has had new light thrown upon it by Kliver, showing it to be an Etoblattina, and it is accordingly introduced here.

The question of the water supply of the town of Stratford-on-Avon has for years past presented many difficulties. The town is situated on the uppermost beds of the Upper Keuper Marls, and the water derived from the wells sunk in these gypseous marls, or from the alluvial gravel of the river valley, contains an amount of solids equal to about 170 grains per gallon, of which about 125 grains consist of calcium sulphate. Up to a very few years ago this intensely hard water was alone available for domestic and manufacturing purposes, but the main supply of the town is now derived from catchment basins and reservoirs at Snitterfield on the adjoining hills about four miles north of Stratford. In years of average rainfall a fair supply of moderately soft water is obtained from this source, but it is one which, as regards organic impurity, bears unmistakable signs of its surface origin, and during dry seasons the town supply has to be supplemented with the hard well-water I have already referred to.

Mrs. E. Lort-Phillips, during her journey in Africa, collected some well-preserved Arca-like shells from a riverbed at Bihin, in Somali-land, which have been entrusted to me for determination. The specimens, belonging to one species, are of various sizes, quite black in colour, and covered in places with a lightish-brown matrix.

During a short holiday spent last summer in the Eifel, I was much struck with the occurrence of an extremely vesicular, dark-green glass in the lava at Bertrich, the most southerly point of the district at which traces of volcanic action are to be met with. It lies in the valley of the Uessbach, a little stream that flows into the Alf, a tributary of the Moselle. In all probability the ground on which Bertrich now stands was at one time covered with lava, and if the course of the Uessbach be followed for about a mile and a half above the town, thick patches of it may be clearly seen on either side of the present bed of the stream, all traces of it ceasing higher up the valley. It is well exposed in a quarry known as the Mühlrech, on the left bank of the Uessbach immediately below the high road to Kenfus, and about a mile above Bertrich. Here the lava exhibits a fine section about 90 feet high, but it is being rapidly cleared away for road metal. The quarry lies immediately at the mouth of a side-valley called the Müllischwiese, which commences near the foot of the Falkenlei, one of the three craters that overshadow Bertrich, and gently slopes down for a distance of about three-quarters of a mile into the valley of the Uessbach. The lava which can be thus so easily traced down to Bertrich is part of a great stream which in all probability commenced at some point in the Müllischwiese, and followed the course of the Uessbach, filling its channel to a considerable height. On its way it forms the well-known “Cheese Grotto,” about half-a-mile above Bertrich. It is difficult to determine the exact spot in the Müllischwiese at which the flow commenced, for the valley is now all under cultivation and much overgrown in places, and no traces of the flow can be seen except at the quarry to which I have referred, which is at the junction of the two valleys. Excavations have now been commenced immediately above the quarry by the side of the high-road; and the lava which is there being exposed is exactly similar to that seen below in the large quarry, only it is not so hard and compact, and presents a somewhat slaggy appearance.