2 Notes and Comments. 



work of the almost forgotten geologist, Martin Simpson. 

 Martin .Simpson was born in 1800 and died in 1892, having 

 long outHved his fame. He spent most of his life in the Whitby 

 district, and for over half a century had charge of the valuable 

 geological collections in the Whitby Museum, though for a 

 short period he was the curator of the Yorkshire Geological 

 Society's collections, now deposited in the Leeds Museum. He 

 was one of the pioneer workers among the Liassic rocks of 

 Yorkshire, and considering the early date of his researches, 

 the enormous amount of information he accumulated was 

 remarkable, and his methods of research had a surprisingly 

 modern air. He was the author of a number of geological 

 memoirs, most of which were now exceedingly scarce. Mr. 

 Sheppard showed a complete series of these works which he 

 had collected, the most important scientifically being a memoir 

 on the ' Ammonites of the Yorkshire Lias..' which was published 

 in 1843, and was long since said to be so rare as to be. known 

 only by a single copy. Another work, published when the 

 author was in his eight-fourth year, was ' The Fossils of the 

 Yorkshire Lias,' in which no fewer than 743 species were 

 enumerated and described. Simpson measured with a foot 

 rule the thickness of the beds in the cliffs north and south of 

 Whitby, taking special note of the specimens pecuhar to each 

 bed — a very early example of zonal collecting. 



YORKSHIRE SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 



In ' Yorkshire's Contribution to Science,' the present 

 writer had the privilege of giving particulars of the publications 

 of the different Scientific Societies in Yorkshire. For many 

 years he has been preparing a history of the various scientific 

 Societies, large and small, in the county, many of which, 

 though they have not published any definite Transactions or 

 Journal, have nevertheless accomplished good work, and from 

 their ranks have sprung workers whose names are now known 

 far beyond the county. While it is hoped that the history may 

 include particulars of every Natural History, Scientific, Bot- 

 anical, Geological, Entomological, Archaeological, Numismatic 

 or other Society in the county, it is quite possible that some 

 may have existed, particulars of which have escaped his 

 notice. Certainly in many cases casual newspaper reports or 

 references in old Natural History Journals are all that has been 

 obtained. If, therefore, any reader of The Naturalist has any 

 programmes, syllabuses, reports or any information whatever, 

 relating to these societies, perhaps he will kindly write to the 

 Curator, Municipal Museum, Hull. Any matter forwarded 

 will be returned, if desired. 



THE SHAP MINOR INTRUSIONS. 



At a recent meeting of the Geological Society of London, 

 a paper with the above title, by James Morrison, was read. 



NaturaliBt, 



