280 YORKSHIRE NATURALISTS IN UPPER TEESDALE. 



Mr. Raine and Mr. J. Pease, who led them alongside Tees and 

 under Cronkley Scars to the site of the old pencil works. The 

 determination of the formation here is a bone of contention among 

 geologists, but whether the beds be shales vitrified by the action of 

 the basalt or Silurian shales is left for them to decide. The way 

 then led over Cronkley Bridge to the High Force, where the 

 members separated to seek their lodgings at Langdon Beck, the 

 High Force, or at Middleton. Unfortunately rain fell heavily during 

 the day, and made observation exceedingly difficult. Only seven 

 species of birds were noted, but few lepidoptera were on the wing, 

 and the botanists alone of the party were to be congratulated upon 

 their success. 



After tea, Mr. James Backhouse, jun., very kindly conducted a 

 party of members to a bone-cave a mile or two distant from High 

 Force, and on the Monday forenoon conducted another party. 



For the Sunday no official arrangements had been made, and 

 members occupied themselves at their own discretion. Fortunately 

 the weather of Sunday was all that could be desired for personal 

 comfort, in striking contrast to the downfalls of rain on Saturday 

 night and Monday morning. 



A forenoon of heavy rain on the Monday made the Cauldron 

 Snout and the High Force appear to the greatest advantage, while 

 the Tees and all its feeders were running so high as to be nearly, if 

 not quite unpassable. Maize Beck, which on Saturday was crossed 

 on the stones, was more than knee-deep on the Monday. The rain 

 cleared off before noon, and was succeeded by brilliant weather, 

 which lasted through the day, and the excursion route was carried 

 out as arranged. The members staying at Middleton were reinforced 

 by others from High Force, and others who came over for the day 

 from various parts of Yorkshire, arriving by the 11.28 a.m. train. 

 The naturalists were fortunate in securing the assistance of Major 

 Bainbridge, whose intimate acquaintance with the topography and 

 geology of the surrounding country, and his rich fund of general 

 information relating to the locality, combined to make him an 

 invaluable guide to the party. As on the Saturday, the Union had 

 permission from the Earl of Strathmore to visit his estates. The 

 first place visited was Messrs. Ord and Maddison's whinstone 

 quarries, which are in close proximity to the Middleton station, and 

 upon which the Leeds Corporation make large demands. These 

 afforded a fine illustration of the columnar formation of basalt, 

 though later in the day still better examples were seen in following 

 the course of the great Tees fault, of which we have already spoken. 

 The route taken was up the Yorkshire bank of the Tees to the High 



Naturalist, 



