i897-] Proceedings of Irish Societies. 1 1 i 



BEI.FAST NATURAI.ISTS' F1EI.D C1.UB. 



March .17— The President (Mr. Lavens M. Ewart) opened the pro- 

 ceedings by calling upon the geological secretary's report of the season's 

 work. The report was read by Miss Thompson, and stated that 

 the Club's work had been interfered with by wet and inclement 

 weather, which prevented the excursion to Pomeroy from taking place, 

 and rendered abortive another to Lough Neagh. Miss Thompson then 

 referred to the help given by members to Dr. Hume during his visit to 

 the North of Ireland to investigate the Chalk, and also expressed the 

 hope that if Professor Tate should revisit Belfast] some opportunity would 

 be given for members to meet the Club's founder. One of the interest- 

 ing finds of the year was a junction of chalk and basalt, discovered by 

 Mr, R. Bell on Squire's Hill. Sections of it show that, in many cases, the 

 tiny shells of the Foramanifera found in it are still unaltered. It has now 

 proved a most desirable arrangement to have the Club's work done 

 systematically by organised sections, and it is worth mentioning again 

 that any member can join any section by sending his name in to the 

 secretary of the section, thereby securing notices of all sectional 

 meetings and excursions which cannot be generally noticed. Allusion 

 was then made to Mr. Robert Bell's find of plant-remains below the 

 boulder clay, and to the continued work on the erratic blocks. ** A.lsa " 

 rock has now been found by Mr. Welch at Portrush. The work done 

 hitherto has been on the lines now worked by the International Boulder 

 Committee of the British Association. An excursion was held to Dro- 

 more during the Christmas holidays to investigate an apparent distinc- 

 tion into upper and lower clays. This, however, must remain doubtful. 



The next paper was read by the Vice-President (the Rev. C. H. Waddell, 

 B.D.) on the " Geological History of Plants." A short discussion followed 

 this paper. 



Mr. Richard Hanna then read a paper on "Alien Plants," or plants 

 which have been artificially introduced, which will appear in these pages. 



Some lantern slides by Messrs. Welch, Fennell, Gray, Phillips, and 

 other members were next displayed by Messrs. Lizars. They included 

 slides of a series of dykes, glacial beds, glaciers, rock-specimens, and 

 features of local geology. 



A number of exhibits of geological and botanical subjects were arranged 

 in the lower room. There was also on view the new slicing machine for 

 cutting rock-sections, recently presented to the Club by Messrs. Combe, 

 Barbour, and Combe, and made to the design of Mr, H. J. Seymour by 

 them. Mr. Seymour explained its action to a large number of members. 

 The following is a list of some of the more important exhibits : — Series 

 of fossils from Chalk, Greensand, and Lias of Ireland and parts of England, 

 by Mr. R. Bell ; plant remains from Ballypallady, and from museum ; 

 varieties of silica, by Mr. H. J. Seymour ; living Cycads and igneous rocks, 

 by Mr. A. G. Wilson; fossils from Carboniferous and Lias, by Mr.Wm. Gray ; 

 erratics from Club collection ; mycelium of fungus in wood and Rubus 

 Drejeri var. hibernicus, by the Rev. C. H. Waddell ; fossil wood from West 

 Indies and Lough Neagh. There were a number of other exhibits. 

 Two new members were elected, and the meeting concluded. 



