The late James Smith of Jordanhill was the first to point out a difference between the molluscan fauna of the post-glacial deposits and that of the raised beaches; also, that the fauna of the raised beaches was identical with that living in neighbouring seas, and that both of these deposits are anterior to the recent or historical period. He says, “On one of my cruises* I had the good fortune to be accompanied by my lamented friend Edward Forbes. . . . . After visiting the Clyde deposits, we proceeded to Port Rush, on the Irish coast, where I had discovered a peculiarly rich deposit, collecting nearly 100 species in its raised beach, about 15 feet above the level of the sea. At the first glance, he exclaimed, ‘Here is an end of your Arctic climate; these shells indicate a warmer climate.’ Next morning he told me that he had been thinking over the climatal conditions of the Port Rush shells; that we were further out at sea than in the Clyde beds; the shells were, therefore, more pelagic in their character, and had a wider range. He would not, therefore, say that they indicated a warmer climate; but he could see no reason to suppose that they indicated a colder one. This was rather perplexing, as some of the shells were unknown to me; but upon the discovery of the last of these shells by Captain, now General Portlock, I became satisfied that there were two distinct formations.” No This 250-word extract was created in the absence of an abstract