1888. ]. Prof. Hughes, Note on Beekute. 247 
The next point to which he drew attention was that, whereas 
in the more decomposed part of the New Red where water had freely 
percolated, the limestone was often coated all round by Beekite and 
sometimes upon the decomposition of the whole of the limestone 
only a chalcedonic shell remained in which the earthy residuum 
rattled when shaken and which was so thin that it would float in 
water, on the other hand in the more solid part of the conglome- 
rate the Beekite was apt to occur on the upper surface only and 
frequently was seen only on the part of the specimen washed by 
the spray. It seemed improbable that chalcedony could have been 
thrown down since these pebbles were exposed to the action of 
surface water; and when, seeking an explanation, he had selected 
specimens thus partly developed, he noticed that the Beekite 
stood out from the surface as far only as the limestone pebble 
had originally extended. Thus it was suggested that the Beekite 
was formed within the limestone fragments and only developed by 
the removal of the portion of the rock which had not been 
silicified. In order to put this to the test of experiment he had 
broken some of the solid fragments and found that the exterior 
was silicified. Slices of this exterior showed under the microscope 
the incipient concentric arrangement of the chalcedony, and when 
pebbles which showed no trace of Beekite were left for a short 
time in dilute hydrochloric acid the Beekite was developed on 
the under side or other parts of the pebble where it had not been 
previously exposed. 
The Beekite was therefore only chalcedonic chert formed at 
some unknown time and under conditions not yet ascertained in 
the partially silicified exterior of the fragments of limestone, and 
subsequently developed upon the removal of the calcareous portion 
after the exposure of the rock in which they occur to the action 
of surface water. 
He exhibited examples of similar formations from Carboni- 
ferous, Jurassic, and Cretaceous rocks. 
(4) Exhibition of a series of Photo-micrographs in illustration 
of the Radulae of Mollusca, and of Apparatus used in photographing 
the same. By A. H. Cooxgs, M.A., King’s College. 
The author explained the construction and working of ap- 
paratus for photo-micrography, and exhibited a series of about 
one hundred photographs of the Radulae of Mollusca, taken from 
specimens in Mr H. M. Gwatkin’s collection. 
(5) On Variations of Cardium edule from Lagoons in the Nile 
Delta. By W. Bateson, M.A., St John’s College. 
(6) Preliminary note on the Germination of Seeds. By M. C. 
Porter, M.A., St Peter’s College. 
