17° [Proc. B.N.F.C. r 



On Saturday, 14th August to 



GLENAVY AND RAM'S ISLAND. 



A goodly number of the members assembled at the Ulster Rail- 

 way Terminus to leave by the nine o'clock train. Soon after 

 leaving Lisburn, Brookhill was pointed out as a place of some 

 historic interest. It was here that the Irish forces under Sir 

 Phelim O'Neill and Sir Con Magenis rendezvoused prior to their 

 attack on Lisburn in May, 1641. After several ineffectual at- 

 tempts to capture the town they succeeded in firing it, and in 

 their retreat from it set fire to Brookhill House, which contained 

 a valuable library of Lord Conway's. Arriving at Glenavy the 

 party proceeded by the banks of the river which runs through the 

 picturesque Glenconway to the shore of Lough Neagh. The 

 heavy rain of the previous night had largely increased the volume 

 of water in the stream, and so added much to the beauty of the 

 "Leap" waterfall. On reaching Sandy Bay boats were awaiting 

 the party to convey them to Ram's Island, which, as there was a 

 favourable wind, was soon reached. After visiting "the cottage" 

 and the round tower, the party spread themselves over the island, 

 some to botanise among the shrubberies on the higher portions, 

 and others to examine its geological features. The latter were 

 rewarded by the finding of some exceedingly interesting fossil plant 

 remains. These occurred in waterworn nodular massses of iron- 

 stone, which, when broken, exhibited impressions of leaves of 

 exogenous plants in a remarkably fine state of preservation. 

 Similar nodules have been found in this neighbourhood by Mr. 

 M'Henry, of the Geological Survey. They were also found 

 several years ago by Dr. James Bryce, F.G.S., formerly of Belfast, 

 and by the late Mr. G. C. Hyndman. These fossils are probably of 

 the same geological age as the iron ore of Ballypallidy and the 

 County Antrim lignites, both of which are considered to be of 

 Miocene age, and probably contemporaneous with the leaf beds 

 of the Isle of Mull and the lignites of Bovey Tracy in Devonshire. 

 Numerous specimens of the silicified wood, for which the Lough. 



