reason to believe, that a single vessel ever sailed between it and those parts of the world, or that we had any trade with them, much before the termination of the Plantagenet or until after the accession of the Tudor dynasty, yet the proofs are abundant of the existence of the Animal here, at a period of remote antiquity in the middle ages. Those who hold the theory of its having been imported, are consequently driven to admit that if imported at all, it must have been brought here either before or soon after the Norman invasion, some centuries before any trade was carried on from hence with those distant parts. In the infancy of navigation, such voyages must have been considered most perilous, if not actually impracticable; and at that time persons of eminence, rank and property, in this country, were too ignorant and barbarous, to incur the trouble and expense of importing foreign animals in order to possess the breed for amusement or profit, and their coarse habits and profound ignorance would render such an importation for the purposes of science or curiosity, almost impossible.

The advocates of the theory seem also unable to refer to any ancient writer or authority, in support of it; nor do they appear able to adduce any proof that the Fallow deer is to be found in Asia or Africa in a semi-domestic state, as is the case in our parks, or under such circumstances as to induce the belief that it was imported from thence; or that it was originally imported into any part of the continent of Europe, and from thence into England. Nor is that all, for even if the animal could be supposed to have been introduced here at so early a period, the violence, insecurity to property, and barbarous manners which prevailed here, in the middle ages, seems to render it scarcely possible, that it could have been allowed quietly to propagate, and multiply to the immense numbers which have existed here during several centuries past.

A considerable number of the forests of England were formerly of vast extent; amongst others may be particularised the Forest of Rockingham, which extended for about thirty miles in length, from Northampton to Stamford, and about eight in breadth, from the river Nen to the Welland and the Maidwell; the New Forest, which extended about twenty-three miles in one direction, and about fifteen in another, and contained about 92,365 statute acres; Bowland Forest, which was of very great extent; the Forest of Sherwood, which extended from Nottingham to the vicinity of Worksop, in length about twenty-five miles, and varying from seven to eight miles in breadth; Inglewood Forest, which was of very great size; and the circumstance has been already mentioned of King Edward I., during a few days which he passed in Cumberland, for the purpose of hunting, having killed 200 bucks in it; and various other forests of great extent might also be mentioned. These forests abounded in prodigious numbers of Fallow deer, which had a vast extent of country to roam in, and were in a wild state, and could not possibly have the advantages of care, nurture, or shelter from man; advantages which were perhaps enjoyed by such of the Fallow deer as were kept in a semi-domestic state in parks. Besides which it may be confidently asserted, that it is not possible to mention an instance of any quadruped, in a wild, or a semidomestic state, or perhaps even in a domestic state, which is admitted by naturalists to have been originally imported from a warmer climate into this country during the middle ages, having ever multiplied to the immense numbers in which the Fallow deer formerly abounded in it.

From the many proofs which have been here adduced, of the existence of the Fallow deer in England in vast numbers, and at a very remote period, it is submitted that we are quite justified in considering it to be an animal indigenous to this country.

FIFTH ORDINARY MEETING.

ROYAL INSTITUTION, 28th November, 1859.

The Rev. H. H. HIGGINS, M.A., PRESIDENT, in the Chair.

Mr. JAMES ATKIN, was duly elected an Ordinary Member. Mr. MOORE exhibited some fine specimens of the horns of the Red deer, the largest pair being from the shores of the Black Sea. Some fossil portions of the horns of the same animal, found in Wallasey in association with the bones of the Bos longifrons, were also exhibited.

Mr. ARCHER submitted some of the plates illustrative of art by the early Christians, on the walls of the catacombs, from the collection of works presented to the Royal Institution by his Imperial Majesty the Emperor of the French.

Dr. INMAN gave some account of a visit he had paid to the catacombs, in the course of which he mentioned having seen the skeletons of a man and woman lying side by side; a somewhat unusual arrangement, as there seemed to be separate halls for males and females.

Mr. BYERLEY exhibited the remains of a toad, which presented a singular instance of parasitic devastation. Some insect appeared to have deposited its ova in the nostrils of the animal, and the maggots had subsequently eaten away a large portion of the textures while the animal was alive, the eyes being ultimately left on the outside of the head, through the destruction of the surrounding tissues.

The CHAIRMAN drew attention to the subject of symmetrical forms supposed to arise from organisms, and referred, as an example, to the cone-in-cone coal, a specimen of which had

been brought before the society on a recent occasion. In that case the peculiar form did not proceed from any living organism, but was purely mechanical. He illustrated his meaning by a circumstance which had accidentally come under his observation in his own house. He had noticed his son playing with a number of toy bricks, ranging them in a line along the floor, in imitation of a railway train, and pushing the row at one end. The effect of the pressure thus applied, was to deflect the further end of the line to one side, until the resistance from friction having reached a certain amount, a similar deflection to the other side commenced, and so on through the entire series. Thus the row of bricks, about 150 in number, fell into a form very much resembling the fronds of a fern. Supposing the same thing to take place with a substance that was elastic and continuous, it might produce a pinnated form. And supposing again that instead of a line, the substance acted upon was a mass, there would not be the same regularity of appearance, but something of the same kind would take place, which might account for the cone-like form of the coal. The inference he wished to draw was, that many apparently organic forms might after all be only the result of pressure in a particular direction, influenced and modified by lateral friction.

Professor ARCHER observed that the cone-in-cone coal was always produced in layers, in which one series fitted into the other just like teeth. It had been suggested that some peculiar vegetable forms had originated the coal in which this remarkable appearance was presented, and which in the change from the organic to the inorganic state had been retained. The Xanthorea, or lance-tree of Australia and New Zealand, afforded an example of this. The tuft-like

leaves being thrown off, and the bases being left behind, the cavities got filled up with gum, forming a structure very much resembling the cone-in-cone coal.

Mr. MORTON said the same appearance existed in limestone. A paper had been read by Mr. Sowerby at the last meeting of the British Association, which bore upon this subject. The effect, he believed, was attributed to crystalisation.

Dr. INMAN adduced several examples, as common starch, extract of henbane, and sugar, in support of the opinion that the result was due to crystalisation. There might be some salts of lime in the coal, which would have the effect of causing a peculiar disposition of the particles.

Dr. EDWARDS had not the least doubt that it was the result of certain mechanical forces, which were capable of producing forms of almost mathematical regularity, certainly as regular to the naked eye as crystals. Slate was the nearest example. Horizontal and vertical force, when intense, would produce striæ of extreme fineness, so as to give a true cleavage, which would represent the effect of crystalisation. This was proved by the experiments made by Professors Tyndal and Huxley, in their endeavours to ascertain the cause of the curious ribbon lines in glaciers. They submitted ice and snow to such immense pressure that it resembled slate. Following out the idea thus suggested they took slate powder, to which they applied hydraulic power, and found that they had brought it back almost to its original state.

Professor ARCHER remarked, that terrestrial magnetism was to be taken into account as well as molecular attraction. The effects of the magnetism were manifested in the regular lines of the slate. He was reminded by the discussion, of an interesting circumstance in connexion with the geological features of Stourton. A large fracture had occurred in the sandstone, the direction of the cleavage being at right angles to the direction of the strata on each side of the anticlinal axis of the hill. Dr. Buckland and Mr. Cunningham had visited the spot, and felt that it presented a great difficulty. The hill itself was composed of fine sandstone, while the filling up was