262 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 



Ballymadder, County Wexford. 



Several pebbles of pink microgranite or aplite. — Similar 



to veins in Carnsore granite. 

 Granite. — Similar to a specimen of granite from Great 



Saltee Island. 

 Porphyritic andesite or felsite (two specimens). — Probably 

 from Silurian area of County Waterford and County 

 Wexford. 

 Flint. 

 The method of transport of these pebbles forms an interesting 

 problem. Dried seaweed floated off the beach has been known to 

 bear stones for long distances ; but as a cause for such an extensive 

 distribution it seems rather inadequate. It is not improbable that 

 glacial conditions may have existed further north at the time of 

 formation of the beach, and the temperature may have been 

 sufficiently low for the presence of floating ice, which would form 

 a much more effective carrier. 1 It must be noted in this con- 

 nexion, however, that no disturbance of the beach- deposits such as 

 might be attributed to the grounding of floating ice was noticed 

 in any of the sections. The striations on the rock-platform at 

 Bingabella Bay and elsewhere are immediately overlaid by 

 boulder-clay. 



Although search was made in the beach-deposits for fossils, 

 none were obtained. Springs commonly issue along the platform 

 through the beach-deposits, and the frequent conversion of the 

 latter into ferricrete, even where no springs issue, testifies to the 

 percolation of much water. This water, escaping as it does from 

 the non-calcareous Carboniferous Slate and Old Red Sandstone, 

 would readily dissolve any calcareous matter in the beach. 2 



1 It may lie remarked that most, if not all, of the erratics found in the raised beach 

 of the Cork coast have travelled from E.N.E. to "W.S. W., i.e., against both the tidal 

 drift (such as there is) and the prevailing winds of the recent period. It is interesting 

 to note that if an ice-cap, accompanied by more or less permanent anticyclonic condi- 

 tions, had already established itself in Scandinavia, the prevalent winds on the south 

 coast of Ireland would blow from the east and north-east, owing to the shifting south- 

 wards of the track of the cyclones. (SeeF. "W. Harmer, Q. J. G. S., vol. lvii., p. 405, 

 1901.) 



2 It was implied, in the abstract of a paper printed in the Geological Magazine 

 (Dec. 4, vol. x., p. 501, 1903), that shells had been found in the pre-glacial beach. 

 These proved, on further investigation, to be recent, and not to be included in the 

 beach-deposits. 



