1 960-1901.] 5^7 



best plant of the day. This was Foa compressa, which until 

 recently was only recorded from two stations in the North of 

 Ireland. As it is not a conspicuous plant, it has probably been 

 overlooked, and may possibly be found elsewhere, 



The well-known fossil wood, or petrified wood, of Lough 

 Neagh, was collected along the shore near Sandy Bay. Speci- 

 mens were selected, which illustrated stages in the process of 

 petrifaction, part being soft lignite and part solid stone. Solid 

 blocks of ferruginous clay or ironstone were also found, which, 

 when split open, were found to contain very beautiful impres- 

 sions of leaves. Similar plant remains occur in the iron-ore 

 beds of Ballypalady, on the Northern Counties Railway, Glen- 

 arm, and elsewhere in County Antrim. The deposits are of 

 special geological interest, and, like the beds on the island of 

 Mull, described by the Duke of Argyll, indicate to some extent 

 the character of the climate that prevailed in the North of Ire- 

 land and Scotland when the great sheet of basaltic rocks com- 

 mon to both countries were being formed. 



Much has been done by Dr. M'Closkey, W. Swanston, F.G.S. ; 

 Starkie Gardner, Bailey, and others ia elucidating geological 

 phenomena connected with Lough Neagh, but much remains 

 to be done in tracing the origin and co-relation between the 

 petrified wood, lignite, iron-ore, and plant remains associated 

 with the deposits along the eastern shores of Lough Neagh ; 

 and, as in the case of the diatomacious clays at Toome, the 

 clays of Sandy Bay may yet be found capable of being used for 

 manufacturing purposes. 



This great sheet of fresh water, with a margin of some eighty 

 miles, is not remarkable for scenic beauty, and yet under cer- 

 tain conditions, such as prevailed on the return journey, it has 

 its attractive aspects. The expanse of water, bounded on the 

 distant horizon by the blue hills of Tyrone and Derry, the 

 romantic Ram's Island in the middle distance, and the fringe 

 of plantations in the immediate foreground formed a combina- 

 tion of natural beauty not altogether unworthy of the artist's 

 pencil. 



