24 -l-he Irish Nahiralist 



Bei^fast Naturai^tsts' Fiki,d Ci^ub. 



November 2oTh.— The President (Mr. F. W. Lockwood, C.E.) 

 delivered his openiiif^ address. He congratulated the Field Club upon 

 its continued prosperity and the recent great increase of zeal as indicated 

 by the formation of various subsections, such as the Microscopical 

 Committee, the Celtic Class, the Photographic Committee, and the 

 Geological Committee, all of which were doing good work. He then 

 went on to comment at greater length upon the investigations by the 

 Geological Committee into glacial plienomena generally. The various 

 changes of opinion on this question were commented upon, and the 

 principal theories upon the Great Ice Age described at some length. In 

 conclusion, the speaker remarked that it was singular how little use 

 appears to have been made of the microscope in these investigations. 

 Marine claj's almost invariably yield specimens of foraminifera and 

 kindred forms, which are strictly sea- water genera, yet except by their 

 fellow-member, Mr. Joseph Wright, the Boulder clays do not appear to 

 have been systematically searched for them. So far as this section of the 

 country was concerned the Geological Committee of the Club could not 

 do better than in continuing the work they had so energetically com- 

 menced, and if they could persuade a sufficient number of competent 

 observers in Great Britain to take up the microscopic investigations of 

 the Boulder clays there, the geologists of Britain would be in a fair way 

 to solve the great glacial problem. 



Mr. Joseph Wright, F.G.S., mentioned that with geologists in the 

 North of Ireland it had always been considered as a marine deposit, and 

 so long ago as 1841 General Portlock, in his report on the geology of 

 Londonderry, recorded the occurrence of marine shells in this drift. 

 Subsequently Mr. S. A. Stewart published in the Club's Proceedings a 

 list of the mollusca of the Boulder clay in which he recorded the 

 occurrence of shells from a number of North ot Ireland localities, 

 proving that the clay in question was fossiliferous. Some of the bivalve 

 mollusca, especially two species of Ltda, were found by him having the 

 valves united, showing that these species must have lived on the spot in 

 which they were found. Mr. Wright made a microscopic examination 

 of the same clays, and in every case he found them to contain foramini- 

 fera. He also met with foraminifera in many samples of the clay which 

 were devoid of molluscan remains, these tiny rhizopods being as perfect 

 as when brought up by the dredge from our existing seas. From that 

 time up to the present further examinations of the Boulder clay have 

 been made and always yielded similar results. He also stated that, through 

 the courtesy of a Scotch geologist, Mr. James Neilson, he received five 

 samples of Boulder clay from the vicinity of Glasgow, in all of which 

 foraminifera were present. In addition to these, he received from Mr, 

 John Stears, of Hull, a packet of Boulder clay from that locality. This 

 sample of English Boulder clay was also found to contain foraminifera. 

 These results are interesting by reason of the common occurrence of 

 these marine microzoa, most English and Scotch geologists having 

 been hitherto of the opinion that the Boulder clay was the result of land 

 ice, and had not a marine origin. 



Mr. A. Percy Hoskins, PM.C, F.C.S., read a carefully-prepared analy- 

 tical paper on a sample of glauconite from Woodburn, Carrickfergus. 



Mr. R. LivOYD Praeger made some general remarks on the history 

 and work of the different Irish Clubs, and brought forward a scheme for a 

 union of all the Field Clubs of Ireland, and for a general conference 

 next summer. 



The President and Mr. Joseph Wright spoke in favour of the 

 scheme, and Mr. W11.1.IAM Gray, M.R.I. A., offered some criticisms. 



Mr. F. J. Bigger, Honorary Secretary, in supporting the scheme, said 

 it was not contemplated that the individuality of the clubs, nor their 

 power over their own work, should be interfered with in any way, but 

 that a Central Committee of all the Clubs should be appointed for 

 carrying on general work. 



Mr. W. H. Patterson, 1M.R.I.A., also spoke in favour of the scheme. 



