1 899.] Proceedings of Irish Societies. 137 



Dubinin Naturalists' Field Club. 



April 29. — The first excursion of the season took place. About thirty 

 members and their friends repaired to the quarry at St. Doulagh's, 

 under the guidance of Dr. A. H. Foord, F.G.S. The party was favoured 

 with brilliant weather, and after a pleasant walk through St. Doulagh's 

 Park reached their destination at about 3 o'clock. First of all Dr. Foord 

 addressed some remarks to the members of the Club on the geological 

 phenomena exemplified in the quarry. He pointed out that the rocks 

 belonged to a lower division of the Carboniferous system, viz., the Lower 

 Carboniferous Limestone, which, like other pure limestones, is chiefly of 

 organic origin, and contains the hard parts of shells, corals, crinoids, 

 and other marine invertebrates in considerable abundance. The thick- 

 ness of the rock (about 1,200 feet in the Province ot Leinster) indicates a 

 deepening sea, which admitted of the accumulation of the debris of vast 

 quantities of the organisms mentioned, and the sediment thus built up 

 gradually solidified, partly by pressure, partly by chemical agency. 

 Subsequently, earth movements taking place, these subaqueous deposits 

 were raised into dry land and their consolidation was finally effected, 

 with the result that massive limestone rock was formed, such as that 

 exposed in the quarry. Dr. Foord then described briefly some of the 

 characteristic fossils which the quarr}-men had obtained, stating that 

 the St. Doulagh's fossils were fairly representative of the invertebrate 

 fauna of the Carboniferous limestone. The following are the names of 

 these fossils : — Crinoidea— stems of crinoids, very abundant in the 

 upper part of the beds ; Polyzoa — Fenestella plebcia, M'Coy, very abundant ; 

 Brachiopoda — Productus semireticitlatns, Mart, abundant ; Spirifera striata, 

 Sby. ; S.pinguis, Sby. ; Rhynchonella pugnus, Shy. ; LamellibranchiaTa— 

 Avictdopecten granosus, Sby. ; Cardiomorpha oblonga, Sby. ; GASTROPODA— 

 Euomphahis pentangidaius, Sby.; Naticopsis Phillipsii, M'Coy ; Cephalopoda 

 — Orthoceras, body-chamber of an undetermined species; Calonatitilus 

 pingnis, Sby. ; Solenocheilus dorsalis, Phil. ; CRUSTACEA (Trilobitse). Phil- 

 lipsia gemmiuifera, Phil. 



Some of the members, provided with hammers, succeeded in finding 

 and knocking out some specimens of Fenestella and Froductus, the most 

 characteristic fossils of the beds ; several specimens of Spin/era were 

 also obtained. 



On leaving the quarry a few of the party visited the interesting little 

 church of St. Doulagh's. All then repaired to Mrs. Hone's house, St. 

 Doulagh's Park, where the members were most hospitably received. 

 In Mrs. Hone's collection of fossils Dr. Foord noticed a very fine 

 specimen of Spirifera striata, Sby., the largest he had ever seen. The 

 party left for Dublin by the 6.22 train, having spent a very agreeable 

 afternoon. 



