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Folk-Lore of Geology.—Geologists are well acquainted with the new red sandstone of Cheshire and the counties adjoining, and Ansted (Elementary Geology, 2nd edit., p. 363) remarks of it, that "the beds are nearly horizontal, the dips rarely exceeding ten or twelve degrees, and being constantly towards the east, or a few degrees north or south of that point." This statement is strikingly corroborated by the practical observations of the well-sinkers in the county, who, on being questioned as to the dip of the strata, invariably state that it is always "towards the rising sun."—T. N. B., Chester.

The Results of Two Explorations of the caverns of "Trou des Nutons," &c., near Furfooz, by MM. Van Beneden and Dupont, were laid before the Académie Royale de Belgique on the 3rd December, 1864. In the "Trou des Noutons" were found worked flints, bone implements, fragments of charcoal and wood, pieces of pottery, human bones, jaws of beaver and glutton, pell-mell with remains of bear, reindeer, goat, ox, wild boar, shrews, voles, numbers of birds, four species of land-shells (Helix pomatia, H. arbustorum, H. lapicida, and H. cellaria) and Unio batavus, which is still living in the river Meuse. The human bones consist of,—the "os frontale" of a child, very remarkable for the elevation of the forehead and the extraordinary thinness of the sides; an imperfect "os frontale" of an adult; humerus, femur, tibia, ilium, scapula, and clavicle, the bones of the members alike indicating two individuals of different ages. The beaver is represented by a complete, and the glutton by the middle portion of a lower jaw. The remains of bear comprise a nearly complete vertebral column, embracing the vertebræ from the 2nd cervical to the 3rd caudal; the sacrum, and most of the ribs, with a portion of the sternum. It differs from the cave bear by its much smaller size. The goat, of which an entire skull has been obtained, is of the domestic species. Remains of an ox of unknown species complete the category. The authors hope to give at an early period a detailed description of the several objects thus discovered.—Translation, by Ralph Tate.

The Eozoon Canadense.—The following letter recently appeared in The Reader, emanating from Queen's College, Galway:—

"For several weeks past we have been engaged in investigating the microscopic structure of the Serpentine of Connemara in comparison with that of a similar rock occurring in Canada, which has attracted so much attention of late. For a considerable portion of the time we entertained the opinion, in common with Sir William Logan, Drs. Dawson, Sterry Hunt, Carpenter, and Professor Rupert Jones, that the Canadian Serpentine is of organic origin, the result of the growth of an extinct foraminifer called Eozoon Canadense; it was also our belief for awhile that the Connemara rock had originated from a similar organism. Gradually, of late, however, we have been reluctantly compelled to change our opinions.

"It is now our conviction that all the parts in Serpentine, which have been taken for the skeleton structures of a foraminifer are nothing more than the effect of crystallization and segregation.

"It would have given us unalloyed pleasure, had we been able to state that our investigations have confirmed those of the eminent authorities to whom reference has been made, as it was purely in this spirit that we commenced our labours; and also, we may observe, with the desire to ascertain if the Serpentine of Connemara and the other rocks with which it is interstratified, belonged to the Laurentian period.

"We purpose at an early opportunity to lay before the public all the evidences and considerations which bear us out in our present opinion.—We are, Sir, yours very truly, &c.,

"William King, Professor of Mineralogy and Geology.

"Thomas Rowney, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry."

In the succeeding number of the same journal a communication was published from Dr. Carpenter, in which the claims of Eozoon to be considered organic were strongly asserted, and some little personality introduced. To this communication Professor King has briefly replied that the results of his investigations will soon be published, and until then he recommends a suspension of judgment.

Another Plesiosaurus.—We have to record the discovery, in the neighbourhood of Charmouth, Dorset, of another Plesiosaurus. This fossil, though not so perfect as the magnificent one acquired by the British Museum last year, is yet a remarkably fine specimen, and being in stone is in good preservation. Portions of the skeleton have been submitted to Professor Owen, who has pronounced them to belong to an undescribed and unnamed species. Thus this makes the second new species of this most remarkable family which E. C. H. Day, Esq., F.G.S., of Charmouth, has been the medium of bringing under the notice of the scientific world. It is to be hoped that this wonderful relic of a bygone age of life will be secured for the national collection; but at present, as we are informed, circumstances seem likely to prevent its acquisition.—The Reader.