masses peculiar to the genus Geodia-all beautiful objects for the microscope. A large one, of several pounds weight, contained pieces of shells, a fragment of an echinus, as well as sponge. The flints are slightly waterworn, and many of them covered with lichens. With them are blocks of granite and gneiss, some of large size, smaller pieces of hornblende, reddish conglomerate, quartz, &c., &c.; in short, the usual heterogeneous collection of travelled stones found in these parts. One kind of rock deserves special notice. It is that peculiar quartz rock with the large annelide-tubes, so abundant in the highlands of Assynt, Durness, &c., in Sutherlandshire. There is no mistaking it, its character is so obvious. For its history see Sir Roderick Murchison's last edition of "Siluria." I would here remark that the north end and west side of the small island of Stroma have never been under cultivation, being too much exposed to the blighting winds and burning spray which, when the storm is raging, pass over these parts; and, although some of the cliffs are more than 100 feet in height, the sea-water at times rushes in streams thence to the opposite side of the island. I was told by James Simpson, an intelligent fisherman, that he had often heard his grandmother say, that in her time the supply of peat for fuel for the islanders was cut there, and that the moss was then three feet in depth. All has been long since taken away, and the scanty vegetation and mould which subsequently formed has also been pared off by the flaughtering spade, for divots either for the covering of houses, &c., or "backing" for fires, and thus the collection of stones on this now truly sterile spot is well exposed, and washed and bleached by the storms of winter, and the more genial showers and sun of summer. These stranger stones, although now mingled with others "native and to the manner born,” show marks which tell of scratching and polishing, movement and rough usage, after having been torn from their native mountains and hills; and it is interesting to inquire into their age, mode of transportation, and deposition there. Deposited with the peat they could not be, they date beyond that time. The boulder clay period suggests itself, and I think correctly; for although but very slight traces of the clay itself are to be seen on the island now, there are evidences of its former presence. But probably it was never of great depth, there being no deep valleys or sheltered coves to retain it on this small spot of land. Add to this the peculiar form of the island, sloping towards the sea on both sides and ends, much like the hipped low roof of a house-in some places descending quite to the level of the beach. Thus, when rising on its return voyage, after being submerged and covered with the boulder clay, as it slowly lifted up its head from the agitated waters of the turbulent Pentland, lashed no doubt then as now by the waves of the restless "Swelkie"* and "Bores"† the softer and lighter portions of the clay were washed out, and passed down the sloping sides in muddy streams, and were swept away by the furious tides which ran past, the more ponderous and weighty materials being left behind. Whence the flints came I do not intend to speculate, but merely mention that many writers upon those found in other parts of Scotland point to Denmark and Sweden. My stay on the island on this occasion was very short, but this is of little consequence, as my son William has since made a thorough inspection of the whole island, and finds flints all over. The next morning I passed over the Pentland in the midst. of a storm, with rain and snow, and whilst my horse was feeding and being got ready for my return home, I took the opportunity of looking round John o' Groat's, and there chalk flints were to be seen, but not in that abundance as at Stroma. I regretted that I could not extend my search further. As the subject is worthy of attention, I hope to pursue my investigations as opportunities offer, for I believe that these flints are wide spread, not only in the boulder clays of Caithness, but on the surface also. I hope by thus giving publicity to the discovery that the attention of others may be called to the subject. * "Swelkie" is a whirlpool off the north end of the island, which at times is very dangerous. A boat, with seven men in it, was drawn in, and all were sucked down and lost. † "Bores." For instance, off Duncansbay Head the waters rise up all on sudden at certain times of the tide into high waves. It is then dangerous for vessels and boats to pass through-almost certain destruction to boats. V. Note of the Onuphis tubicola found near Wick. By CHARLES W. PEACH, Esq. I am not aware whether the Onuphis tubicola has been noticed as occurring in Scotland. It has been found in Ireland, and I got it rather plentiful in Cornwall. It forms a quill-like tube, which it fixes in the sand. I got one the beginning of this month from a fishing-boat belonging to this place. The animal was not in the tube, and although the 'tube is injured, there is sufficient left to identify it. The animal is described and figured in the "Annals and Magazine of Natural History" (vol. xvi. page 6, 1845), in a paper by Dr George Johnston of Berwick, fifteen years ago. I supplied him with specimens, and when I lived in Cornwall, I kept some alive for more than a year.* Wednesday 25th April 1860.- WILLIAM RHIND, Esq., President, in the Chair. The following donations to the library were laid on the table, and thanks voted to the donors :-Observations on the Free-Labour Cotton of Honduras, &c. With coloured plate of the plant. By Mr James Banks, Prestonpans. From the author. Lecture on the Geology of the Province of Nelson, New Zealand. By Dr F. Hochstetter, of the Austrian Scientific Novara Expedition.-From the Colonial Secretary, Auckland, New Zealand. Memoir on the Extinct Sloth Tribe of North America. By Joseph Leidy, M.D., Professor of Anatomy, University of Pennsylania. From the author. Report of the Board of Agriculture of the State of Ohio, for the year 1856, Vol. II. From the Ohio State Agricultural Society, through the Smithsonian Institution, U.S.A. Mr GEORGE LOGAN made some remarks on the Lord Advocate's proposed New Herring Fishery Bill; and moved that the subject be remitted to the Committee on Marine Zoology, with powers to memorialize the Lord Advocate, or other parties, as may seem to it best, in order that some exemption might be made for the trawl or seine nets, when used solely for scientific purposes, from the restrictions and prohibitions proposed in the bill. After some remarks by Mr J. M. Mitchell, the motion was unanimously agreed to. * Since this paper was read I have found a much finer and better preserved one at Wick. The communications read were as follows: I. On some Obscure Markings upon an Old Red Sandstone Slab at Mill of Ash, near Dunblane. By the Rev. ROBERT HUNTER, late of Nagpore. The large slab, half of which has been laid upon the table, is a micaceous flagstone, from a fissile layer, a few inches thick, with a more compact sandstone or gritstone both above and below it, and at no great distance from a trappean effusion. It would seem to belong to the lowest or Cephalaspis zone of the Old Red Sandstone. The Rev. Walter Smith, of Free Roxburgh Church, in this city, when with me last August, in a quarry at Mill of Ash, observed some of the markings on a projecting ledge of stone, and that day and the next he and I laid the rock bare for a space of six feet in length by five in breadth, and came on about 150 of the markings. More recently, the slab was raised, and the Rev. Mr Paterson, of Dunblane, kindly consented to take the trouble of having it packed and forwarded to Edinburgh. The impressions are of two sizes. Their form is elliptical, with a raised border, one side being in much bolder relief than the other; and it is important to note that the raised margins all correspond in position with each other. Within, and separated from the elevated border by a channel, there is occasionally a raised central space, with a tendency to longitudinal furrowing. The longer axes of the ellipses all point nearly in the same direction. They are arranged with some regularity, though at times two are in such close contact as to form an eight figure, and, more rarely, a couple of these eights uniting have constituted a rude cross. Mr Page possesses some curious impressions from Ardoch, a few miles north of Mill of Ash, but judging from some figures he hastily drew for comparison, they are of forms entirely different from those now described. It is difficult to say whether the markings are of organic or inorganic origin. The hypothesis on the subject which most naturally arises, and being expelled has a tendency to return, is, that they are footprints of some animal. There are, however, very formidable. objections to this view. Nor can they well have been formed by pebbles, or by the impressions of ganoid scales, for sub stances generally so indestructible would surely have left some. fragment of themselves, more or less, which they have not done. Most of the markings are formed chiefly of micaceous laminæ, like the rest of the rock, and in the two or three instances where the presence of a foreign body can be detected, it seems to be of a concretionary nature. Mr Robert Loudon Irvine, of Hurlet Chemical Works, who kindly consented to analyse one of these foreign bodies sufficiently to determine its chief ingredients, thus reports on it. "It consists mainly of carbonate of lime, with iron existing mostly in the state of protoxide and alumina. There are neither sulphates nor sulphurets present. The black colour is probably due to the presence of carbonate of protoxide of iron." Sir Roderick Murchison and the Rev. Mr Mitchell of Craig have, independently of each other, pointed out a remote resemblance in the impressions to what is in Forfarshire called "the Kelpie's foot;" but neither of those gentlemen regards the phenomena as identical. At the suggestion of Sir Roderick, the matter has been referred to Professor Phillips of Oxford, who has had much experience of obscure markings like the present. He has already received specimens of the impressions; and it is probable that one of the larger pieces of the slab will have to go to England for thorough examination there. II. Notice of Various Ornithic Fossil Bones from New Zealand. The bones which I have now the pleasure of exhibiting to the Royal Physical Society were found in a limestone cave in the northern island of New Zealand, and were given to me for examination by Mr D. F. Paterson, of Kerr Street, near Stockbridge, in this city. In a letter received from Mr Paterson, he states, that "the large bones were sent home by Dr A. S. Thomson, of the 58th regiment, to his father, James Thomson, Esq. of Glendowan, as rare bones. The skull was unknown to Dr Thomson, and differed from all the Moa's skulls that he had seen; at the same time, he thinks it belongs to the genus Dinornis. The bones of the little bird, found along with the others, were altogether unknown. The cave in which the bones were found is on the western side of the North Island, near |