656 REPORT — 1903. 



forming: a bank of sand in the slack water at each side of their channels. These 

 hanks drying at low water, the sand has then been blown inland by the prevailing 

 S. W. winds. No dunes e.-cisted in this district 400 years ago, and they are probably 

 subsequent to and result from the reversal of the drainage of the Mersey and 

 Kibble. ______ 



2. Ilartin Mere. By Harold Brodrick, M.A. 



Martin Mere, a lake situated inland of and to the N.E. of Southport, was, at 

 the end of the sixteenth century, about four miles long by two in width, its 

 length extending from Crossens to Eufford. It was one of a number of lakes 

 which formerly existed in this district, such as the lake on the site of Chat Moss 

 and others in the Wirral Peninsula. The glacial period left the whole of this 

 district and part of the Irish Sea between the present coast line and the Isle of 

 Man covered with a deposit of boulder clay with an undulating surface. The 

 district under consideration seems to have formed a portion either of a large lake 

 basin, which stretched seawards, or of an estuary, as a deposit of grey clay is 

 found underlying the western portion of the mere ; the lacustrine or estuarine 

 character of this clay is not at present fully determined. Subsequently to this 

 deposit a good drainage system came into existence, and a forest sprang up con- 

 sisting of gigantic oaks and Scotch firs, the roots of which trees penetrated 

 through the grey clay, and in some cases imbedded themselves in the underlying 

 boulder clay. This forest covered a considerable area of South-west Lancashire 

 and the Wirral Peninsula and extended seawards of the present coast line. The 

 drainage of this district became obstructed by a bank of tidal alluvium at Crossens, 

 and a lake was formed killing the trees, which fell mostly pointing in a N.E. 

 direction. This lake slowly became smaller owing to the growth of sphagnum 

 and other peat-forming plants; the shores, with the exception of that on the north, 

 were shallow and marshy, and favourable to such growths. The old basin is 

 tilled with peat, the lowest layers of which are of a dense black nature containing 

 the trunks of trees ; the upper portions of the peat are of a light colour, and con- 

 tain no tree tiamks for the most part, although a layer of hazel trees occurs within 

 a few feet of the surface over the greater portion of the area ; shallow layers of 

 sand occur in various places in the peat, and are probably of similar origin to that 

 of the Shirdley Hill sand of the district. The greatest depth of the peat so far 

 ascertained is nineteen feet. Imbedded within a few feet of the surface fifteen 

 canoes, each hollowed out of a single tree trunk, have been found. The earlier 

 maps [e.g., Blaeu, 1662) all show three islands : of these the boulder clay knoll on 

 which Berry House windmill stands is one. It is possible that Wyke Farm 

 occupies a second and Clay Brow a third. Berry House Island was never more 

 than five feet above the highest waters of the mere. The lake prior to the arti- 

 ficial drainage flowed into the Douglas near Rufibrd ; but it is likely that in times 

 of floods the reverse took place, and the flood waters of the river and of the lake 

 found their way into the sea at Crossens. In 1C92 the first artificial drainage 

 works were commenced, and consisted of a canal, cut through the banked 

 alluvium at Crossens, and flood gates. It was not until about 1850 that the lake 

 was efficiently drained. Previous to that date the area was frequently flooded, 

 partly owing' to the blocking of the flood gates by sand, partly to incursions of 

 the sea, and partly to floods from the Douglas. The present area of the old lake 

 is now below the high-water mark of spring rides, which have been known, within 

 living memory, to flow up as far as Berry House. 



3. Report of the Committee on the Registration of Type Specimens of 



Fossils. 



4. Rejwrt of the Committee on the Structure of Crystals, 



