Page:The Geologist, volume 5.djvu/136

112 the tarsus and metatarsus, two vertebræ, and various fragments. "These remains," he says, "lay in the upper strata of the Keuper, visibly overlapped by the Lias. This formation has hitherto been considered as devoid of organic remains in this country (France), where it contains gypsum and rock-salt. Nevertheless, some years ago, M. Pidancet, a geologist of the Franche-comté, found in these same strata large bones, which he deposited in the Museum of Besançon, and which he considers as belonging to the same species. A few months ago, while opening a ditch for the railroad near Domblans, a similar fragment was found; and M. Lauckardt, one of the employés, has seen also at the same place other bones much larger, which he could not displace on account of their fragility.

.—M. Froment, the Mayor of Saint-Lothaire, has found bones of mammoth and deer in a bed of sand and marl containing boulders of quartz and numerous fragments of terrestrial and freshwater shells.—'.'

.—Sir,—Could any of your readers inform me as to what causes certain bodies of this shape in the Red Crag of Suffolk? I have met with them in great numbers along the cliffs at Bawdsey. They are made up of the same materials as the rest of the crag, but seem to be harder and contain more oxide of iron. They are hollow in the middle, and measure from an inch to a foot in length. Their origin, perhaps, is the same as the Sabella tubes mentioned in a former Number by Mr. Brent. They are exposed only by the action of wind and water on account of their superior hardness. I should be glad of auny information concerning them, however small.—I remain yours, etc.,.

[We handed this query over to a correspondent, who pondered over the reply to be given on the origin of these mystical bodies until he fell asleep and dreamed that at a considerable outlay of time, trouble, and expense, he had submitted it to various competent authorities, and by special trains, electric messages, etc., had been favoured with the following answers:—

"Sponges," J. S. B. "Annelid-tubes," J. W. S. "Cephalaspid tails," G. E. R. "Casts of tree-roots," C. B. "Lightning-tubes," G. D. G. "Effects of Water-spouts," J. T. "Elongate-ovate Crvstalloids," H. C. S. "Alveolinæ," W. B. C. "Ovoid bodies of Teredines," N. T. W. "Nests of Entomostraca." T. R. J. "Horn-cores of Bos," H. F. "Derived fossils from the Coal " and " Casts of bore-holes of Saxicava, in place," J. M. "Fossil wasp-nests," I. O. W. "Coprolite of a Gorilla," R. O. "Not a Coprolite of a Gorilla," J. E. G. "Cases of Caddis-worm (Phryganea Hercules)," H. T. S. "Joint of Cragocrinus," E. W. "Fœtal Whales," T. H. H. "Casts of Swallow-holes," J. P. " Objects of Human Industry, such as rusty spikes, tenpenny nails, marling-pikes, sounding-leads, or such like," B. de P. "Prochronic Tailor-birds' Nests," P. G. "Darwinian Eau-de-Cologne Bottles," F. W. H.]

.—The following admirable and succinct epitome of our science, in use by Professor King, at Queen's College, Galway, will be found very useful by many of our younger readers, and for lecture purposes by our elder ones.

Definition of the Science.—Geology (from ge, the earth, and logos, a discourse) treats of the nature and order of arrangement of the rocks composing the crust of the globe; of the physico-geographical changes which its surface has undergone; and of the various plants and animals with which the lands and waters of by-gone periods have been tenanted, as well as the