MIDLAND UNION OF NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETIES. 185 



THE EXCUESIONS. 

 The second day of the Annual Re-union was devoted to excursions 

 in the neighbourhood ; one party making the study of the Geological 

 features of the country their chief object, the other mainly bent upon 

 procuring Botanical treasures and objects of general scientific interest. 



The Geological Excursion. — The Geologists were about thirty in 

 number, and made a formidable show of hammers and collecting bags, so 

 that the request made by a resident "not to damage the scenery" appeared 

 a reasonable one. 



Starting from the Town Hall at about half-past nine, the carriages 

 drove northwards to the site of the boring for water now being executed by 

 the Diamond Rock Boring Company near the Kettering Road. The bore- 

 hole commences in the Upper Lias, and has reached a depth of 640 feet, 

 being now in the blue clays of the Lower Lias. Although the object of 

 this work is to obtain a supply of water from the sandstones of the Upper 

 Trias, it would be of the highest geological interest to continue the boring 

 so as to ascertain what rocks here underlie the Trias. The latter forma- 

 tion, we believe, would be found to be much thinner than where it rises 

 to the surface further west. Continuing the drive on the north side of 

 the town, numerous interesting sections in the Inferior Oolite, Great 

 Oolite, and Upper Lias were visited, and a return was made to the town 

 about two p.m., in order to partake of a capital lunch provided at the 

 Plough Hotel. 



In the afternoon the work lay chiefly among the ironstone quarries 

 in the Northampton Sand (Inferior Oolite) on the west of the town, at 

 Duston, &c. ; a final return to the town was made at 6 30 p.m. An 

 opportunity was taken at lunch time to present the best thanks of the 

 excursionists to Mr. W. Hull for the able manner in which he acted as 

 leader of the party. The route for this excursion was suggested by Mr. 

 S. Sharpe, F.G.S. 



The Botanical Excursion. — This party, forty in number, including 

 several ladies, was conducted by Mr. R. G. Scriven, who had made every 

 arrangement for the comfort and enjoyment of the visitors, who warmly 

 recognised and expressed their sense of indebtedness to their 

 leader. The weather (as foretold by a telegram from the Meteoro- 

 logical Office received the previous evening) was splendid, and everything 

 propitious. 



Leaving the Town Hall shortly before half-past nine, the party pro- 

 ceeded in brakes through exceedingly pretty country, gently undulating 

 and well wooded, via Cogenhoe and Whiston, where a short halt was made 

 to enable a visit to be paid to the church, a small but perfect example of 

 the Late Perpendicular style, and having a lofty tower of great beauty, 

 dating from 1534. Again entering the brakes, they were conveyed to 

 Castle Ashby, the seat of the Marquis of Northampton. Here an hour 

 was spent in viewing the mansion and grounds. The latter are of great 

 extent, and tastefully laid out, the spring bedding in particular being 

 greatly admired. The mansion is in the form of a quadrangle, built of 



