Reports and Proceedings. 187 
both in a scientific and merely picturesque point of view, the party 
had to descend as best they could the steep incline which leads to 
the quarries in the freestone. Here again stone-chipping became 
the order of the day, and some very interesting and perfect specimens 
were obtained, amongst which Terebratula fimbria appeared to be 
the most abundant. Several good plants were also procured, as 
Arabis hirsuta, Hypericum hirsutum, Hieracium sp. (?), Epilobium 
angustifolium. ‘The last point examined was the junction-beds of the 
Inferior Oolite and the Upper Lias, but no good exposure could be 
found. The Lias Clay was, however, easily found 2” sité with the 
brown sandstone of the ‘Cephalopod-bed’ overlying it, and several 
characteristic fossils were obtained. At five o’clock a cold collation 
was provided at the Queen’s Hotel. On the removal of the cloth, a 
few business-matters were discussed and arranged, after which the 
Rev. J. H. Thompson gave a short account of his recent visit to the 
Tyrol and Northern Italy. He alluded to the great facilities which 
will be afforded for giving ready access to this highly picturesque 
locality, owing to the formation of railways. He had found the dis- 
trict particularly rich in botanical treasures, and it was no uncommon 
thing to be able to collect in a single day upwards of fifty species 
unknown in the British flora. He noticed also the remarkable 
tenacity of plants to their habitats, especially with reference to alti- 
tude.. He had met with numerous plants at a height of 9,000 feet, 
just on the confines of perpetual snow, that he could not find a few 
feet lower down. Ranunculus glacialis indeed grows only where it 
can spread itself over the ice of the mountain-glacier. The geological 
features of many portions of the Tyrol are also exceedingly remark- 
able and interesting. In one district there is a wide tract of country 
composed for miles of columnar basalt. He trusted that members of 
the society would be induced to visit the Tyrol instead of ‘doing’ 
Switzerland several times. In conclusion, he promised that at some 
future time he would exhibit the flora of the Tyrol at one of the 
evening-meetings of the society. After a vote of thanks to the rev. 
gentleman for his address, the day’s proceedings were brought to a 
close, and the party returned shortly before eight o’clock.—J. J. 
Tue East Kent Naturar History Society met at Folkestone 
on August 30th, under the command of the president, Major Cox, to 
examine the well-known eliff-section. A field-lecture was given by 
Mr. Whitaker (of the Geological Survey of Great Britain), the sub- 
stance of which will be given in our next number. The members 
and their friends dined together at the Pavilion, after a pleasantly 
spent afternoon. 
The fourth excursion for the present session of the BrLrast 
FIELD-NATURALISTS’ CLUB was made to Colin Glen on the 6th of 
August. In the walk up the Glen, the great development of the 
variegated marls of that portion of the Triassic series known as the 
Keuper formation was passed over. The principal point of interest 
was a natural section, by the stream, of the Avicula-contorta-beds, 
which contain a thin stratum known to geologists as the ‘Fish- 
