73 



weather it again disappears. Dr. Booth mentioned that a 

 lake in Dalecarlia exhibited similar phenomena, and it was 

 thought that the facts might be accounted for on the well- 

 known principle of intermittent springs. 



Dr. Hume stated that during a recent visit to Hoylake 

 he thought he had discovered the real cause of the 

 encroachment of the sea upon the land. Towards the 

 mouth of the Dee the shore is protected by the west Hoyle 

 sand-bank, which acts as a breakwater. Accordingly, 

 here the land is actually gaining on the sea. Farther 

 eastward, where no such protection exists, the shore 

 receives the unrestrained action of the water, and accord- 

 ingly, just opposite the point of the Hoyle-bank, we begin 

 to notice encroachments, among which are the submerged 

 forest, the lost village, &c. 



Dr. Hume also stated that the collar found at Lochar 

 Moss, and exhibited to this Society at a previous meeting 

 by Mr. Gray, had been forwarded to Mr. Albert Way, the 

 Director of the Society of Antiquaries. It had been pro- 

 nounced by that gentleman to be one of the finest specimens 

 of British collar, and he had requested permission to have 

 it engraved for the Archceologia. 



The President then introduced to the meeting Dr. W. 

 Carpenter, F.K.S., who had kindly promised to lay before 

 the Society the results of some of Ms own experiments. 



DR. carpenter's COMMUNICATION WAS: 



"ON THE MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATION OF THE STRUCTURE 

 OF SHELLS." 



The thanks of the Society were presented to Dr. 

 Carpenter by the President for his valuable communication. 



