elx Proceedings. 
On April 19th Mr. Murton Holmes exhibited and explained a 
collection of the shelly parts of Pteropods taken off Culebra 
Island in the ‘ Challenger.’ 
Mr. Fred. Curtis, introduced by Mr. Crowley, gave a Lecture 
entitled ‘‘ Notes from the Arctic.” This was an account of a 
three months’ cruise in the Barentz and Kara Seas, about the 
southern island of Nova Zembla and the islands of Waigats and 
Dolgoi, in the steam yacht ‘ Laura,’ fitted up for the expedition 
by Mr. H. 8. Pearson. The lecture, which described day by day 
the various points visited, and the human, animal, and plant- 
life met with, was freely illustrated by lantern-slides, taken, as I 
understand, by the lecturer himself. The island of Waigats, 
situated about 70° by 60° E., was thoroughly worked, and the 
observations of the geology, zoology, and botany of the adjoining 
island of Dolgoi which were made were, in the belief of the 
lecturer, the first recorded. A short visit was paid to Khabarova, 
on the mainland; several landings were made on the southern 
island of Nova Zembla, and observations on its eastern coast as 
far as lat. 74° 24’ added something to the geographical know- 
ledge of that shore. 
On April 23rd an excursion to Chislehurst was conducted by 
Dr. Percy Allan. The following is the account which Dr. Allan 
has kindly sent me :— 
‘* Kacursion to Chislehurst—On April 23rd some thirty mem- 
bers of the Club, on bicycles, conducted by Dr. Allan, visited the 
caves near Chislehurst Station. The entrance was by a sloping 
low-pitched tunnel in the side of a steep hill, just at the junction 
of the greensand with the chalk. The galleries, of considerable 
extent, were of heights ranging from four to thirty feet; they 
ran for a considerable distance; some branched, some ended 
blindly, and others rejoined the main passage. A second series 
of galleries, more extensive than the first, were explored by two 
or three of the party, who had to creep into the entrance on 
hands and knees. In Chislehurst there is no history attached 
to the caves, but, as may be judged, they were constructed for 
the purpose of obtaining chalk. The party, on leaving, partook 
of tea at the ‘ Bickley Arms.’” 
On April 27th Mr. Robarts, Hon. Sec. of the Geological Section, 
took charge of a Conversational Meeting on Slates. He exhibited 
various specimens illustrative of Welsh, Westmoreland, French, 
and American Slates, and described methods of obtaining and 
manufacturing them. The cause of the cleavage, which is the 
distinguishing feature of true Slates, was explained, and the 
geological position of the principal veins was demonstrated. 
