REPORT OF FIELD MEETINGS l6l 



the Black Hall rocks and caves, where a similar deterioration 

 of the Magnesian Limestone to that at Marsden and Roker 

 has happened, but perhaps on a grander scale than the latter 

 places. Others wandered about the boulder-clay capped 

 cliffs in search of botanical specimens, and judging from the 

 following blooms noticed or gathered, this part of the ramble 

 was a success : — Agrimony, Arrow-grass, Red Bartsia, 

 Scorpion Grass, Tansy, Toad Flax, Figwort, Oxeye Daisy, 

 Burdock, Thyme, Yarrow, Lady's Fingers, Meadow Sweet, 

 Marsh Potentil, Great Burnet, Burnet Rose, Field Rose, Great 

 Willow Herb, Broad Equilobe, Burnet Saxifrage, Sweet Cicely, 

 Spotted Hemlock, Marsh Galium, Heath Galium, All-heal 

 Field Scabious, Sneezewort, Common Hawkbit, Cat's-ear, 

 Mouse-ear Hawkweed, Harebell, Sheep's-bit, Common Heath, 

 Shepherd's Weather-glass, Field Gentian, Brook-lime, Eye- 

 bright, Woodsage, Self-heal, Sea Plaintain, Buck's-horn, 

 Plantain, Sun Spurge and Orchis. The presence of many 

 of the above plants is due to the drift deposits of boulder 

 clay. 



Our day's outing on this occasion was mainly on the 

 Magnesian Limestone, which extends from South Shields to 

 some little distance beyond Hartlepool, stretching westward 

 into the county as a narrow band as far as Sunderland, and 

 then widening out over the coal until it covers a considerable 

 portion of south-east Durham ; and the bold, rocky and 

 picturesque coast scenery depends on this limestone formation. 

 Owing to the thin and poor character of the soil of the Mag- 

 nesian Limestone, the crops suffer considerably during a dry 

 season. 



At the time of our visit some very good crops of young 

 turnips were noticed here and there, and they were consider- 

 ably more advanced than the same kind of crops on Tyneside. 

 The hay, chiefly in pike, appeared a heavy crop in a few 

 places. Success in farming such poor land depends almost 

 entirely on the manurial matters added to it during the tillage 

 operations. 



