52 



be a fungus, probably formed in tbe night after dew. Mr. 

 Cunningham stated, on tbe authority of Jameson's Magazine, 

 that it had sometimes been found at a depth of from eight 

 inches to two feet. 



THE FIRST PAPER OF THE EVENING WAS, 



" NOTES OF AN ORAL LECTURE, DELIVERED ON GEOLOGICAL 

 SUBJECTS, DURING A RECENT EXCURSION TO STOURTON." 



Written by Dr. Hi me. 



On Saturday, the 28th March, about fifteen members 

 of the Society accompanied Mr. Cunningham to Stourton. 

 They landed at Bock Ferry, and proceeded onwards. He 

 first called their attention to the marine origin of the shore, 

 the deposit in some places being about fifty feet deep. 

 Some years ago, it was stated, in sinking a well at Upper 

 Tranmere, shells were found at a depth of forty-five feet. 

 On going further, the attention of the party was drawn to 

 what were evidently boulders from tbe Cumberland rocks, 

 probably deposited there by icebergs during the glacial 

 epoch. Mr. Cunningham pointed out the objects of 

 geological interest as they proceeded, showing particularly 

 what in mining phraseology was termed " a fault." Several 

 beds containing iron were pointed out, and specimens 

 brought away. The quarry, which it was their object to 

 visit, was of much geological interest, as the great fuctts 

 had been found there, and the discovery of prints of 

 tbe chirotherium had led tbe footsteps of men of science 

 to the spot eight years ago. These remains, however, 

 only identified it with the reptilian epoch ; and the honour 

 of discovering the footprints of birds was reserved for the 

 present occasion, and for Mr. Cunningham, the discoverer 

 also of the fucus and chirotherium. Before reaching them, 

 attention was directed to two masses of stone, which were 

 covered with deposits somewhat like Arabic characters in 

 relief, but the real nature of which was not correctly ascer- 

 tained. The ridges were neatly and prominently rounded, of 

 the thickness of a lead pencil, and from one to four or five 

 inches long. They were in all possible forms and varieties, 

 and might have been either worms or the exuviae of animals, 

 or something totally different not yet suggested. The slab 

 on which the footmarks of the bird were discovered lay on 

 the surface of tbe ground, opposite a cottage, and was 

 more or less covered with impressions. On the right of it, 

 however, looking in the direction in which the bird had 

 moved, there were three very distinct footmarks of three 



