24 The Irish Naturalist. [Jan., 



The flints were firmly packed together ; in fact, they were interlocked one 

 with another, so that when working into the face it was sometimes 

 diflBcultto get one out until the adjoining one had been loosened and dis- 

 lodged. The whole find was evidently the heap which the old flintworker 

 had formed at his feet while he sat at his work on the hard surface of the 

 ground before some of the changes of level took place, which enabled a 

 later growth of peat to come and cover up the surface, including the heap 

 of flints. The flints were quite un weathered and unrolled, and had their 

 edges as sharp as if they had been just made. Their colour was quite un- 

 changed, being the same dull black or dark grey that freshly-broken flint 

 presented. Many of the flakes were of exceptionally large size, with 

 great heavy butts, while others were thin and delicately formed, remind- 

 ing one of the modern gun-flint makers' flakes. The cores also resembled 

 those from which modern flakes were struck. On the whole, the flakes 

 and cores were much like those found in the Larne gravels, with the 

 marked difl'erence that instead of being rolled and weathered they were 

 perfectly sharp and fresh. The flakes measured from one inch to five 

 inches long, most of them, however, being about three inches. He 

 noticed that some of those flints were marked with spots or splashes of 

 a clear vitreous glaze, exceedingly thin and transparent, as if liquid 

 glass had been dropped or splashed upon them. This glaze reflected the 

 light, but seemed to be without any appreciable thickness. He presumed 

 that silica in solution must have come in contact with some of the sur- 

 faces of the embedded flints, but further than this he could suggest no 

 explanation of the matter. 



BEIvFAST NATURAI.ISTS' FIEI.D Cl,UB. 



November 17.— The President (Mr. Iv. M. Ewart) in the Chair. Mr. 

 Wiivi^iAM Gray delivered a lecture on " The Origin and present Condition 

 of the Giant's Causeway," which was discussed by F. W. Lockwood, J. 

 M'Leish, Isaac Ward, R. M. Young, and S. F. Milligau. Replying, Mr. 

 Gray reminded the members that their President was one of the defendants 

 in the case now coming on, by which it was sought to exclude the public 

 trom the Causeway. He appealed to the members to assist the cause of 

 the public by subscribing to the Defence Fund. 



October 21. — Geologicai, Section. The monthly meeting was held^ 

 when rock- specimens from the Isle of Man were shown by Miss M. K. 

 Andrews, including some " Crush Conglomerates," whose formation has 

 recently excited considerable interest (see " The Crush Conglomerates of 

 the Isle of Man," by G. W. Lamplugh, F.G.S., and W. W. Watts, F.G.S., 

 Journ. Geol Soc, Vol. 51 (1895), p. 563, and Prof. W. J. hollas, F.R.S., Proc 

 Geol Assoc. ^ 1893, pp. 92-3, and 170.) Similar rocks occur at Portraine, 

 Lambay, and elsewhere in Ireland, resulting from earth-movements. A 

 collection of English fossils was shown by Mr. G. M'Lean, and Mr.R. Bell 

 exhibited some interesting boulder-clay, with pebbles of Ailsa eurite and 

 Cushendun conglomerate, from near Glenavy. 



December 15.— Rev. J. Andrew lectured on " The Elemental Basis 

 and Progressive Build of the Inorganic World." 



