TOO REPORTS OF MEETINGS, 



June 6th. The first general excursion of the season. A party of about 

 thirty took the train to Frome, where Mr. Ch. Moore, F.G.S., of Bath, was 

 awaiting them, he having kindly promised to point out some points of 

 geological interest in the neighhourhood. Carriages were employed to take 

 the party over parts of the road between the sections to be examined. Vallis 

 Vale was the first point and through this picturesque bit the party went on 

 foot. Soon after entering the Yale, IMr. Moore called a halt at a quarry 

 which showed Rhgetic beds in a peculiar position, lying unconformably on 

 the upturned Carboniferous limestone, A dark blue Ehsetic clay lying 

 between two beds of Conglomerate forms the base of the Secondary-rocks, 

 the clay containing teeth of fishes, vertebrae, PolUcijyes, &c. Above come 

 laminated marls, and at the top what seems to be the representative of the 

 White Lias. In the next quarry above the Khaetic beds mentioned before, 

 comes an estuarine bed with insects and Esther ia., a nodular limestone, the 

 White Lias being absent. Above the Rhajtic is the Inferior Oolite, be- 

 ginning by a bed of Conglomerate and containing Carboniferous corals 

 redeposited. Proceeding up the Vale are seen a succession of interesting 

 sections, e.g., one similar to that mentioned by Sir H. de la Beche,[;in the 

 " Geological Observer," p. 560, where the Inf. Oolite lies horizontally on 

 the upturned and planed off edges of the CarboniferousMimestone, the 

 intermediate beds which are absent, represent a thickness of 10,000 feet. 

 The lithodomous moUusca of the Oolite period have bored in the Carbon- 

 iferous rock, and their perforations are frequently to be seen. Egford 

 Bridge quarries were visited. Here were seen veins of Lias, &c., material 

 filling fissures in the Carboniferous limestone : one of these dykes is full of 

 Pentacrimis, others contain some lead and zinc ore. Similar phenomena are 

 seen at Hoi well quarry, the fine Rhaetic dykes were discovered by Mr. Moore, 

 to be such from the fossils which he found ; he obtained 70,000 of one 

 species of Acrodus (tooth). From the quarry over the stream he procured 

 his Microleates (tooth,) the oldest mammal of which we have e^ddence. 

 In this quarry besides the Rhaetic veins is a much newer one. Post-pliocene, 

 containing bones of Frog, Arvicola, &:c. Driving', through Nunney the 

 picturesque ruins of the Castle were visited and then return was made to 

 Frome where the party dined, and after returning hearty thanks to Mr. 

 Moore for a very pleasurable and instructive day, they left by train. 



August 9th. Second General Excnr=ion of the session. Destination, May 

 Hill. 



October 5th. The beginning of Evening Meetings [after] the Summer. 

 Mr. W. W. Stoddart, gave his lecture on the Geology of the Bristol Coal- 

 fiekl. The substance of this appears above. 



