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CiRC. No. 122 



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GEOLOGY.— Mr. Smith {Sec. Ripon Nat. Club) has coUated 

 information from various sources, chiefly former circulars of 



There are four formations apparent in Ripon and neighbourhood :- 



Millstone grit — Cayton beds in three layers. 



the foUow- 

 Y.N.U. ;— 



I. 



2. Permian beds. 



3. Trias or New Red. 



4. Glacial or Boulder Clay. 



The upper layer of Cayton beds contains alxmdance of Encrinites, the second 

 Plenty of Brachiopods, the third is a hard, fine sandstone. The following fossils 

 lave been noted : — (9///^;> resitpinata^ O. viichclliui^ Prodzictiis scini reticulaius^ 

 P- fora, p. aciilcata^ Spirifcra lincaia, S. trigonalis, .V. striata^ Spirifeyina cristata^ 



S. octoplicata, StreptoJiynchus cremstria^ StrophoDuna aualoga, Chonetes hard- 

 rensis, Khynclionella pleurodoit. Over the above beds come the Red Grit of the 

 Tlumpton series as found at Brimham and Studley Park. The Permian rests un- 

 conformably on the Plumpton Grit. The Trias lies east of the Ure and belongs to 

 the Punter Series. It is a soft Red Sandstone and contains splendid contortions of 

 Gypsum beds which will be pointed out to the visitors. Geologists will do well to 

 secure some photographic friends' assistance at this point in the day's work. The 

 Boulder clay is superimposed generally over the whole district. 





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BOTANY.— The Botanical section will be officially represented by its 

 I'resident; Mr. M. B. Slaten F.L.S., and one of its Secretaries, Mr. John Fanah. 



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Flowering- Plants. — Mr. John Farrah writes : The district to be traversed is 

 botanically one of tlic best in England, and has aff-.M-ded the writer the greatest 

 pleasure at all seasons for many years past. The date of the excursion is too early 

 for a very large number of plants to be found in bloom, yet, owing to tlie forward 

 state of vegetation a goodly variety will be observed, many of wdiich are compara- 

 tive rarities, and where the plants are not actually flowering scores of species will be 

 J^ecognisable Ijy their foliage, and the eye of the plant-lover delighted with the 

 abundant promise of floral wealth that will be actually fulfdled during the "merry 

 month of May " and the " leafy month of June." Amongst the rarer plants seen 

 Will be Thalictruni Jiavinn, l^annncnliis m/i-icointcs^ Hellcboj'tts viridis, H. faiidus^ 

 AcoiiituDi iiapdlus, and Nuphar liitea. Trolliiis, Era)ithis^ Aqidlegia and 'Berberis 

 should be looked for. Cardaiiiinc aniara^ Arabis ihaJiaim, A. Jiirsuta, and Coch- 

 leana offlciiialis will be seen among the crucifers. Among the star-w'orts should be 

 seen Cerasliuin oio/ncratn/n. Stdlaria aquatica, and S. uliginosa. In the space at 

 tiisposal it is impossible to draw attention to a tithe of wdiat is to be seen, and we 

 Will mention a few more irrespective of arrangement — Gcra7iiiii}i pusilliuu ^ Ilnony- 

 luiis ^ eicropiCiis, Astragalus glycyphyllus^ Coniaru-ni paiustre, Jhyonia dioica^ 

 •^axifraga. trniactylitcs^ S, granulafa^ ^I'igopodhini podagraria^ Myrrhis odoiriUi, 

 Adoxa^ Valeriana dioica, Tanacetuni viiJgare^ Ariei?iisia vulgaris, Pciasiies vulgaris 

 (the female plant is found in several places near Ivipon, a fact to be noted 

 as many botanists have ne\'er seen it), Cirpis paludosa, Vinca minor. Li?mria 

 O'nibalaria along with Sedu/n dasyphylium on the walls of Tanfield churcliyard. 

 Pathrtca squaDiaria will doubtless be seen in many places by the river bank, at the 

 Plaster Pits especially. Salvia vcrhcnaca^ Lainiuin galcobdolou, Myosotis colliim^ 

 •P'ngiiiculavHlga?-is, Prinnda fariuosa, LysiiiiacJiia nuimnularia. Orchis ustulata^ 

 O.jjiorio, 0. viascula, Carex acuta, etc. A full list of the flora of l^ipon and 

 neighbourhood, by the Rev. H. H. Slater, appears in parts 7 and S of the Transac- 

 tions of the Y.N.U. AVe particularly draw the attention of botanists to that 

 gentleman's remarks under Os})iunda regalis on the wanton destruction of ferns and 

 tiowers. It will be noticed that we have only drawn attention to some of the plants 

 that will be actually seen during the excursion. Botanists who visit the same 

 ground in June and July will be charmed with the number and variety of its flortila. 



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Mosses and Hepatics. — In the Y.N.U, Circular of 29th March, iSSo, Rev. 

 ■^- PR Slater noted that Hookeria luceiis, Bryuui. couunutatuut. P. pro 



^a)-0(io}itiiu}i broivfieaniini, and lungerniannia ctmeifolia have been found near 

 ^lackfall. 





