369 

 YORKSHIRE NATURALISTS AT ASKERN. 



Jl'LV 12, 1906. 



The hundred and ninety- sixth meeting- of the Yorkshire 

 NaturaHsts' Union was held at Askern on Thursday, July 12th, 

 and certainly the suitability of choosing: a Thursday for an 

 excursion in this district was proved by the fact that over eig^hty 

 members and associates, including representatives from sixteen 

 societies, were present. As usual, the weather was most 

 favourable, the routes traversed by the various sections were 

 through a charming country, the arrangements made by the 

 divisional secretary were all that could be desired, and in every 

 way the excursion was pleasant and profitable. The geologists, 

 as is nowadays their wont, found that the geology of the 

 district was by no means 'worked out,' many important 

 problems still require solution, and the sections visited near 

 Askern are not at all so easy of explanation as they apparently 

 were, say twenty years ago. The botanists, entomologists, 

 and others, after numerous visits, still find a charm in following 

 their pursuits, and are able to add new facts to our knowledge 

 of the fauna and flora of the area. Details of these were given 

 at the well attended meeting in the garden in front of the Spa 

 Hydro at Askern. Mr. W. Denison Roebuck presided at this, 

 and details of the reports presented are given hereafter. At 

 this meeting the Union was further strengthened by the affilia- 

 tion of the Doncaster Grammar School Natural History Society, 

 this making a total of forty-one societies now affiliated. 



Geological Section. — Mr. H. Culpin writes : — The princi- 

 pal object of interest to the Geological Section was the large 

 gravel and sand pit on the south-west slope of Askern Mount. 

 A great thickness of coarse magnesian limestone gravel, 

 ranging from large sub-angular blocks to well-rounded small 

 pebbles, with lenticular patches of sand, rests on beds of sand. 

 The gravels are probably of Glacial age, but they have not 

 travelled far. The sand is Triassic in appearance, and suggests 

 a pre-Triassic valley similar to the one south-west of Doncaster. 

 The gravels overlook a valley to the south. 



At Burgh wallis, i^ miles south-west by west of the Askern 

 pit, is a deposit of well-rounded magnesian limestone pebbles 

 plentifully intersprinkled with sand. This deposit lies on the 

 upper magnesian limestone, and also overlooks a valley to the 

 south. 



At Campsall, ij miles north-west by west of the Askern pit, 

 and in Campsmount Park, a quarter mile further to the north- 



1906 October i. 



