REPORTS ON KXCURSIONS. 293 



Laburnum (Cytisus), 7 ft. atbase; bole, 1^ ffc. Walnut {Juglans 

 reyia, L.), 6 ft. 5 ins. at 5 ft. ; bole, 20 ft. Another Walnut, 

 5 ft. 9| ins. at 5 ft. ; bole, 16 ft. Oak {Quercus liobur, L.), 

 9 ft. 8^ ins. at 5 ft. ; bole, 22 ft. Silver Fir (Picea pectinala, 

 Loud.), 12 ft. 6 ins. at 6 ft. ; long bole. Anothei', 12 ft. 3i ins. at 

 5 ft. ; long bole. A third, 11 ft. 11^ ins. at 5 ft. 3 ins. ; bole, 11 ft. 

 Near an old limestone quarry, below Newark Castle, close to 

 new light railway — Crab Apple (Fyrus Malus, L.), 8 ft. 11 ins. 

 at 2 ft. ; bole, 3 J ft. ; a large example of this species. 



Dalrt to Kilwinning, 6th May, 1905. — Mr. Archd. Shanks, 

 Conductor. Joint with the West Kilbride Natural History and 

 Archaeological Society. — There were twenty-four present at this 

 excursion. The route was towards the Potyan, where Petasites 

 albus, Gaertn., covers some hundred square yards. Proceeding 

 along the Saltcoats high road the " Green Knowe," in a field on 

 the left, is passed. This is marked as a " tumulus " on the 

 Ordnance Survey Maps, but Mr. Shanks, who had dug into it 

 for six feet some years ago, found nothing to make him think 

 that it was artificial. It was composed of sand and gravel. 

 From the bridge carrying the Saltcoats road over the Caaf 

 Water two exposures of limestone wei-e pointed out. Productus 

 latissimus is the characteristic fossil in them. This limestone 

 appears on the shore at Saltcoats. The Linn Spout was then 

 visited by the party. The Linn limestone is worked in a quarry 

 here for road metal, and is rich in spirifers. The " Spout " comes 

 over limestone and shale some thirty-four feet thick. The Caaf 

 Water has cut through this limestone for a distance of over a 

 hundred yards, as the banks are seen to extend in front. The 

 limestone is covered with sandstone, which has fallen in huge 

 blocks into the bed of the stream, and forms the prominent 

 feature known as the Pinnoch Point. Proceeding, the party 

 examined Bankhead Quarry. The columnar form and the 

 spheroidal weathering of dolerit© were well seen. Along the 

 joints of the rock the earthy form of manganese oxide called 

 •' wad " occurs. The trap forms a cliflE along this part which at 

 some former period would have a mould formed of sandstone, 

 as limestone occurs at the Tower Farm. This farm takes its 

 name from a " tower," the site of which is still pointed out on 



