Page:Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London, vol. 27.djvu/397

 form, furnished with short recurved spines (fig. 2) arranged in pairs upon each segment, doubtless referable to the same species. I have proposed to name this form Eurypterus Brodiei, after its discoverer*.

Discussion.

Mr. Duncan inquired whether any metamorphoses had been recognized among the Eurypteridae, and, if so, whether the variation in the thoracic plates mentioned by Mr. Woodward might be connected with them.

Mr. Woodward, in reply, remarked on the difficulty of distinguishing even the sexes in Eurypteridae. The thoracic plate in the fossils resembled that of Limulus ; and the variety might be connected with sex. In some Slimonioe from Lesmahago the only difference to be found was in the thoracic plate ; and it had been suggested that this was due to difference of sex. He had already suggested that the small Pterygotus and the great Slimonia might be only the male and female forms of the same species. On fragmentary remains, however, it was unsafe to attempt to base species ; but he thought Eurypterus Brodiei was a well-marked species.

Rev. H. H. Winwood inquired whether there was any evidence as to Eurypterus being freshwater or marine.

The Chairman (Prof. Morris) observed that the seeds from the passage-beds did not appear to him other than those of land-plants, and had been previously described by Dr. Hooker as spore-cases of Lycopodiaceae.

3. On the Cliff-sections of the Tertiary beds West of Dieppe in Normandy, and at Newhaven in Sussex. By "William Whitaker, B.A. (Lond.), F.G.S., of the Geological Survey of England.

The notes from which this paper is made were taken in the summer of 1866. The two sections described are interesting as showing the spread of beds that, but for them, would be thought to occur only in the south-eastern part of the London Basin ; and I believe that no detailed description of the French one has been published, whilst the English one has been enlarged since the time of its latest description.

1. Dieppe.

The section near Dieppe is noticed by Passy†, in whose time however, the divisions of the "Lower London Tertiaries" were not understood, and various superficial deposits were included with them, the whole being massed under the not very satisfactory name of " Plastic Clay."

Mr. Prestwich has referred to this coast in his paper " On the Woolwich and Reading Series"‡ and to him is owing the most im-


 * See British Association Reports, Liverpool, 1870, p. 91.

† Descrip. Geol. du Dep. de la Seine Inferieure, 4to : Rouen, 1832. ‡ Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. vol. x. p. 129, 1854.