WHILST working through a batch of slides of heavy minerals of the Millstone Grit of the Pennine region some interesting outgrowths on zircon have been noticed which are worthy of record. The writer is not aware that they have been recorded before, but they must have a wider distribution than the Millstone Grit of this area, and therefore this mention of them may lead to further records being made known.

Nearly thirty years ago Penck and Brückner published Die Alpen im Eiszeitalter, which has moulded the views of European glacialists over since. It is the basic authority for the theory that there were four glaciations—the familiar Günz, Mindel, Riss, and Würm—separated by three warm interglacial periods. This theory has been further elaborated to such an extent that Zeuner (1935) lists some eight or nine glacial phases with a corresponding number of intervening warm phases.

Previous to 1931 the Kakamega area, in the Central Kavirondo Reserve of Western Kenya, was almost unknown from a geological standpoint. Gregory (1, 1921) had made brief references to it, but no detailed geological or petrographical examinations had been made of any part. Following on the discovery there in 1931 of alluvial and reef gold, and subsequently the entry of mining companies into the field, a great deal of geological research has been carried out. During 1934–5 the author, whilst mapping a 35 square miles concession (originally owned by the Eldoret Mining Syndicate—E.M.S.—and subsequently examined by East Africa Concessions, Ltd.), was enabled to make a detailed field examination of a part of the area, and later to examine a series of thin slices of the rocks concerned. The account now given is based on facts accumulated during these investigations.

As early as 1915, it was made clear by Bowen that, given continuous separation of crystals from the successive residual liquids of a consolidating magma which was initially basaltic in composition, the inevitable result would be a gabbroic rock in depth, a granitic one above, and “various intermediate types in the intermediate layers”. As a necessary condition to the evolution of a magmatic residuum of granitic composition, this process of progressive crystallization differentiation involves the generation of intermediate rock-types from residual liquids of intermediate composition. Certain investigators, however, led by the authors of the Mull memoir (1924), have entirely overlooked the necessity of this condition. Faced with the association of contrasted acid and basic rocks, which is a conspicuous characteristic of many continental central complexes, they have attempted to account for the facts by introducing a modified conception of crystallization differentiation for which Nockolds has recently proposed the name contrasted differentiation. According to this conception, the residual liquid of consolidating basaltic magma is of granitic composition and can be separated in bulk from a crystalline gabbroic phase.

In 1932 during the early stages of the construction of the undercliff sea wall between Brighton and Rottingdean, whereby the foot of the cliff has now been protected from marine erosion and its top from undue recession in future, opportunity was taken to examine the sections of Coombe Rock and Raised Beach exposed at Black Rock. The face of the cliff has been trimmed and sloped back here and there in the interests of promenaders beneath and, what with this and a certain amount of walling-up, the sections are now less clear and extensive than they were in the first stage of the work. At several points, however, the Raised Beach overlain by the Coombe Rock (“Elephant Bed”) is (April, 1936) well exposed, and its top and/or bottom may still be examined.

The genus Oncograptus was founded by T. S. Hall (1914, p. 109) with the species Oncograptus upsilon T. S. Hall as type. The original definition reads: “Hydrosome at first biserial, but later dividing into two uniserial branches. Thecae long, narrow, and slightly curved. The form of the genus is quite different from that of any other graptolite. The form of the thecae and the great width of the branches seem to remove it from the Dicranograptidae.” In the same description Hall remarks upon the resemblance of the thecae to those of Isograptus (Didymograptus) caduceus, and observes that concrescence of the branches of D. caduceus would result in the formation of a rhabdosome “somewhat similar” to Oncograptus.

Although fossil plants of Jurassic age are known from an area of about a square mile at Tabbova and Miocene marine invertebrates have been recorded from several coastal localities, there is no authentic record of vertebrate fossils from Ceylon. It had hitherto been suspected that local conditions were not conducive to the preservation of bones, but it now transpires that there are such fossils which are as interesting as those of India or Burma.

In February, 1932, the British Association Committee appointed to examine and report upon petrographic classification and nomenclature issued a questionnaire in the GEOLOGICAL MAGAZINE and in Science, in order to ascertain what measure of agreement, if any, exists among petrologists as to the principles upon which a rational system might be established.

Since my last note appeared upon the series of deposits which fills the Ebbsfleet Channel of post-Early Mousterian (Levalloisian) age further excavations have been undertaken this year which have resulted in the complete sequence being established. It had been observed that the Trail with “ rafts ” of Coombe Rock, which overlay the flood-loam of temperate facies (deposit 8), sometimes contained in its upper portion “ rafts ” of a pale sandy brickearth; moreover, here and there, traces of this same faintly stratified brickearth occurred upon the surface of the Trail in question. In order that the true explanation of these observations might be reached, a special excavation was made at what was considered to be the most suitable spot at the site.

THIS paper describes and discusses the affinities of a new genus of Rugose corals, and indicates the trends of development affecting it; the stratigraphical distribution of the four new species which compose the genus is recorded, and the structure, insertion, and symmetry of their septa are described in some detail.

Banded ferruginous quartzites form a conspicuous feature of many of the outcrops of Dharwar schists in Mysore. Because of their much greater hardness than the associated chloritic and hornblendic schists, these quartzites have withstood the action of weathering agencies better, and form prominent hill ranges in the schist belts. One such important range is the Bababudan hills in the Kadur district, comprising some of the highest peaks in the Mysore State, several of which are over 6,000 feet above sea-level. The Bababudan hills are mainly composed of thick beds of haematite and magnetite quartzites which are separated by bands of chloritic and talcose schists. The high angles of dip and the intensely folded nature of these quartzites are evidences of the great disturbances to which these rocks have been subjected. The complicated tectonics of this area have not yet been satisfactorily elucidated, as geological work on these hills is heavily handicapped by the dense jungles infested with wild animals, and the thick soil cap which obscures the disposition and relationship of the rocks. The ferruginous quartzites overlie an epidiorite flow of spilitic affinities. A few dykes of epidiorite, some of which are tourmaline-bearing, have invaded the quartzites.

The scarcity of shells in the Denbighshire Coalfield has been commented on by a number of observers, and though numerous Carbonicola and Naiadites are to be found at certain horizons Anthracomya is exceedingly rare, particularly in the lower part of the Middle Measures. This lack of molluscan remains has made the zoning of the Coal Measures in Denbighshire a matter of considerable difficulty and only one occurrence of A. phillipsi (Williamson) has hitherto been recorded, namely from the Coed-yr-allt Beds, the middle division of the Upper Coal Measures.

IN the investigation of the somewhat poorly exposed Dalradian rocks of North-East Scotland, the Banffshire coast-section is of inestimable value. Excellent exposures are presented for study throughout a dip-section some 25 miles in length. The general characters, subdivisions, and relationships of the Dalradian rocks of this section were dealt with by me (1, 2, 3) before the importance of current-bedding and graded bedding in the investigation of the stratigraphical order of metamorphic rocks had been realized. In this paper an account is given of the examination of the section along the lines developed by Professor E. B. Bailey and the Glasgow school (5, 6, 7, 8, 9). I have to thank especially Professor Bailey and Dr. W. J. McCallien for their instruction in the study of current-bedding in metamorphic rocks during excursions to the Kinloch-leven and Schichallion districts.