126 The hish Naturalist. June, 



March iS. — Arch/EOI.ogicai. vSkction — .The President in the chair. 

 A paper on "Notes on Early Christian Ornament in Italian Churches" 

 was read by Miss Lamb, illustrated by lantern slides. The paper was 

 spoken to by Mrs. Hobson, K. J. M'Kean, R. May, and T. Dewhurst. 



March 25.— Geoi.ogicai. Section. — W. J. C, Tomlinson in the chair. 

 The first paper was by RocERT BEiyiv, on the newly-recognised mineral 

 Bcekite. It general!}' occurs on fossil sponges, corals, and shells 

 mainly from Cretaceous rocks. In chemical constitution it is a form of 

 chalcedony. Our local Cretaceous deposits have now been proved to 

 yield it. Colin Glen, the slopes of the Black Mountain, and Hillsport have 

 all yielded excellent specimens of the mineral from both the Greensaud 

 and Chalk rocks. The second paper was by James Strachan on the 

 "Origin and Formation of Zeolites in Basalt." It is to be published in 

 full in the Clubs Proceedings. An animated discussion ensued regarding 

 the theories advanced, in which the chairman and T. Dewhurst, H. L. 

 Orr and W. Gray took part. 



Aprii, 8.— The President (Robert Patterson, F.L.S.) in the chair. The 

 Curator of the City Museum, Arthur Deane, read a paper on "The 

 Dispersal of Seeds." The mechanism for the dispersal of seeds was 

 spoken to under four heads — i, ejection by the plant ; 2, transport by 

 air ; 3, transport by water; 4, transport by animals. Mr. Deane referred 

 in detail to these four divisions, and gave a most interesting and in- 

 structive account of the ways by which plants ensure the dispersal of 

 their seeds. The paper was illustrated by diagrams and a large number 

 of specimens, and it was discussed by the President, F. Balfour Browne, 

 M.A. ; W. J. C. Tomlinson, WiUiam Gray, M.R.I.A., and Dr. Clarke 

 Robinson. 



Aprii, 14. — Annuai. Meeting.— The forty-fifth annual meeting w^is 

 held, the President (Robert Patterson, F-LS.) in the chair. W. H. 

 Gai,i,\vay, Hon. Secretary, read the annual report, which stated that 

 during the year fifty-one new members were elected, of whom forty-six 

 (jualificd by paying their fees. There were seven deaths and eighteen 

 resignations. On ist April, 1907, the membership was 418; on the cor- 

 responding date this j-ear it is 439, leaving a net increase of 21 new 

 members. Two new sections — the archaeological and zoological — were 

 formed at the beginning of the present session, and, with those of the 

 botanical and geological, have proved successful, the papers read at the 

 meetings being valuable contribuiions to science, and many of them the 

 result of original research. Eight successful excursions were carried out 

 to different places of interest, the average number present being 50, and 

 the largest attendance at any one excursion being no. 



The Committee desire to thank the F^rratic Blocks Committee of the 

 British Association, through Professor Percy V. Kendall, for the grant of 

 ^■4 for the purchase of maps and memoirs on glaciation. The Treasurer 

 submitted his statement of accounts. Last year the deficit was ^^3 9^. id. 

 This year shows a balance to the credit of the Club of ;^i6 17.V. \d., all 

 accounts having been paid. The Librarian's report and the reports of 



