Glasgow Geological Society. 303 
Being detained at the railway station Mr. Hudleston gave some 
account of the origin of the iron-ore. He pointed out that the 
occurrence of the large oysters, pectens, and limas, accounted for the 
presence of phosphoric acid by the decomposition of the animal- 
matter in those Mollusca. The iron-salts had been introduced into 
the rocks subsequent to their deposition, and he thought that the 
decay of fossil wood had been an important factor in the formation 
of organic acids which had helped to form the carbonate of iron. 
The iron-carbonate characterised the grey beds that were covered up 
by the Kimmeridge clay, while the reddish-brown ironstone at the 
outcrop had subsequently been “rusted.” The lower Corallian beds 
showed little or no signs of ferruginous infiltrations, therefore he 
thought we must look to the overlying beds for the immediate 
source of the iron-ore. The members visited other sections in the 
ironstone; and afterwards walked to the Eden Vale brickyard, 
where the Gault clay is dug for the manufacture of bricks. The 
proceedings terminated with an excellent tea at the Lopes Arms at 
Westbury.—‘“ The Bath Herald.” May 27, 1893. 
TV.—Guascow GEoLocicaAL SOCIETY. 
May 25, 1893.—Mr. Dueatp Bet, F.G.S., read the third of 
a series of papers on “The Alleged Proofs of Submergence in 
Britain during the Glacial Epoch.” In this he treated of the 
“‘shell-beds” or shelly-clays in the north of Scotland, at Clava, 
near Inverness (500 feet O.D.), and on the eastern coast of 
Aberdeenshire (200 to 300 feet, with gravels considerably higher). 
Without anticipating the results of the examination of the Clava beds, 
now in progress by a Committee of the British Association, he was 
free to state the considerations, founded on what was known a year 
ago, from which it appeared doubtful whether this clay were really 
in place, as part of an ancient sea-bottom. All the difficulties which 
were enumerated in a former paper with regard to Chapelhall, 
seemed to apply to this bed at Clava also, and some with even 
greater force. There was the absence of all traces of the sea at a 
similar level, and at innumerable subordinate levels, over the district 
generally, and particularly in the numerous side-glens, where such 
traces would be most likely to accumulate and be preserved. There 
was the inadequacy of the cause usually assigned for this absence, 
viz. a “second glaciation,” which, if granted, might account for it 
in some localities, but not in all. To suppose that the ice removed 
all traces of the sea at such levels over the country generally, was 
to credit it with far more than ordinary glacialists required of it. 
Besides, it was cutting away the very ground on which advocates of 
a “deep submergence” rested. For if this supposed “‘ second glacia- 
tion” wrought such havoc among the evidences of the former presence 
of the sea at such levels over the whole country, where was the 
certainty that any marine remains now found anywhere at such levels 
were really in place ? They may have been shifted to almost any ex- 
tent by ice that could do so much. Lastly, there was the remarkable 
