1886-I887-] 5^3 



was paid to the beautiful glen, so well known to all Belfast 

 pleasure-seekers. Near the glen some fern-hunting members 

 found truncated and variegated varieties of the soft shield fern, 

 Polysiichum angulare. At 7-30 the party reassembled in the 

 village, and the return journey was commenced. The examin- 

 ation of the collections of flowers made during the day resulted 

 in the awarding of the prize to Miss Phillips, whose collection 

 numbered no less than 125 species in blossom. The party 

 reached Belfast, after a quick drive, at about nine, all very well 

 pleased with their day's outing. 



On Saturday, 9th July, to 



WHITEHEAD AND BLACKHEAD. 



On Saturday, 9th July, shortly after noon, a considerable 

 number of members and their friends met on the commodious 

 platform of the Whitehead Station, the day being most favour- 

 able for Field Club work. A visit was paid to the extensive 

 quarries, where is a fine example of columnar Basalt resting on 

 the chalk. This is a feature observable perhaps nowhere else in 

 the county, as it has been noticed that the columnar bands occupy 

 a higher zone in the outflows. Their occurrence in this posi- 

 tion here might be accounted for by the previous denudation 

 of the traps that usually intervene, or by the outflows which 

 formed the lower zones of the basalt having spent themselves 

 before they reached this, the southern margin of the formation. 

 A fine example of the denudation of the glacial period is also 

 observable in the face of the clifi^, showing the basalts and 

 chalk, both shorn by the great leveller — the ice — in its passage 

 over them. Several members, armed with cameras, secured 

 negatives of these most interesting geological sections. Pro- 

 ceding along the shore, Chichester Castle is visited, and further 

 on a resident pointed out what he considered the remains of 

 masonry — probably another castle — now between tide marks. 

 On examination, the majority of the members gave it as their 



