Anniversary Address. 109 



narrow deep valley, which intervenes between these crags 

 and the high sandstone hill to the south called the Shep- 

 herd's Crook Hill, which rises to a height of six hundred feet. 



A basaltic dyke with some peculiarities has been quarried 

 for road stones, about a quarter of a mile northward of the 

 church. It has a direction of west by south to east by north, 

 and is in a line with that of Holy Island, which extends two 

 miles seaward as far as the Plough and Goldstone rocks. In 

 a westerly direction this dyke cuts through the Lowick coal 

 field, and is traceable as far as Leitham, the whole ascer- 

 tained course being about fourteen miles. At Holy Island 

 large blocks of the Mountain Limestone are enveloped in the 

 basalt, and highly metamorphosed ; and at Kyloe, where the 

 dyke is sixty-nine feet wide, but narrowing towards the top, it 

 is overlaid in one part by sandstone, and in another by shale ; 

 but as the shale beds are shattered and irregular in their 

 position, it may be inferred that the protrusion of the dyke 

 was subsequent to the deposition of the shale. All the beds 

 cut through by the dyke belong to the Mountain Limestone 

 formation. Coal beds and shales near to it are seen sloping 

 to the eastward, and a shale contains remains of land plants 

 intermingled with those of marine animals. Along with a 

 fine specimen of the fern Sphenopteris Johnstoniana species 

 of Spirifer, Aviculopecten, OrtMs, and Fenestella occur ; and 

 a similar association of organisms is in the Posidonia schist 

 at Budle bay. 



As the crags have often been searched for plants, botanical 

 discoveries, except among Crypsogams, could scarcely be ex- 

 pected ; the Convallaria polygonatum was seen flourishing 

 high up in the cliffs ; the Asplenium septentrionale was 

 found, but sparingly, in the clefts of the rocks ; the Thalic- 

 trum minus was gathered ; and the following mosses were 

 observed : — Grimmia ovata, Ptychomitrium polyphyttum, 

 Orthotricum phyllanthum. Mr. William Richardson picked 

 up, on the moorlands, Pyrola media, but not in flower. 



At the meeting at Edin's Hall, held on June 30th, 1870, 

 there were present — Rev. G. S. Thomson, president ; Mr. G 



