Aug. 31, 1888.J 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



213 



would not rust, because liquid water would condense 

 from such an atmosphere on the hygroscopic rust, but 

 not on the bright iron. 



The Secretary read a paper by Mr. W. J. Millar, C.E. 

 (Glasgow), on the subject of the Glasgow coalfields, in 

 the course of which he stated that the order of super- 

 position and the average thickness of the coal seams in 

 the neighbourhood of Glasgow to the eastwards are as 

 follow : — Upper coal from 2 ft. to 5 ft. thick ; ell coal 

 from 5 ft. to 7 ft. thick ; pyotshaw coal from 2 ft. 8 in. to 

 4 ft. 6 in. thick ; main coal from 3 ft. 6 in. to 4 ft. 8 in. 

 thick ; humph coal about 30 in. ; splint and virgin coal 

 from 5 ft. to 7 ft. 



In the afternoon a large number of members of the 

 Institute left the city for the purpose of visiting the 

 Forth Bridge. 



On August 23rd about 500 members visited the 

 Glasgow Exhibition, where they were hospitably enter- 

 tained by the President of the Exhibition and the Recep- 

 tion Committee. 



Halifax Scientific Association. — A party, on August 

 nth, under the guidance of Mr. James Spencer, visited 

 the railway cutting at Netherton Bridge. It is crossed in 

 an easterly and westerly direction by a great " fault," or 

 dislocation of the strata, whereby the strata below the 

 bridge is depressed about 48 yards below the correspond- 

 ing beds above the bridge. This dislocation of the strata 

 can be traced in a westerly direction by Illingworth 

 Church, across Wheatley Valley and New Delight, into 

 Luddenden Dean ; and in an easterly direction by Shib- 

 den Head Pit to Brackenbeds. Another fault was pointed 

 out running along the hillside from Netherton to Catherine 

 Slack, and across Shibden Dale to Barehead, where it 

 meets another great fault, which runs in a north-westerly 

 direction from Coley Church, by Shibden Head Pit to 

 Bradshaw, intersecting the Illingworth fault at Shibden 

 Head Pit. Upon reaching Shibden Head Pit, Mr. 

 Spencer pointed out specimens of nodules which are 

 found in the hard-bed coal, and which sometimes contain 

 specimens of fossil plants in a beautiful state of preser- 

 vation. Some of these specimens were examined by the 

 party, and explained by the guide, as were also specimens 

 of " baum pots " containing marine shells. 



Thirsk and District Naturalists' Society. — On 

 August 20th the monthly meeting of this Society was 

 held, Mr. R. Tennant presiding. Mr. Wm. Foggitt, 

 botanical secretary, exhibited numerous specimens in his 

 department which had been gathered in the locality. 

 Mr. Robert Lee, vertebrate secretary, showed some very 

 fine stuffed birds ; he also gave some particulars respect- 

 ing the sand-grouse, a native of Central Asia, several of 

 which visited this country about twenty-five years ago, 

 but had not been seen since until the present year, and 

 recently they had been noticed in various parts. 



Middlesex Natural History Society. — The members 

 of this Society assembled on August 18th, at Edgware, 

 under the directorship of Mr. Sydney T. Klein, and pro- 

 ceeded through the town of Edgware to the old church 

 at Whitchurch, where the Rector most freely explained 

 the various objects of interest, viz., the beautifully painted 

 ceiling, the tomb of the Duke of Chandos and Bucking- 

 ham and family, the organ upon which Handel played 



when he held the appointment of chapel-master, and in 

 the churchyard the tomb of the harmonious blacksmith. 

 Canons Park, formerly the seat of the Duke of Chandos, 

 was also visited, Brockley Hill being reached by the old 

 Roman road of Watling Street, where the site of the 

 Roman town of Sulloniacse was inspected. The members 

 were then taken through private grounds to examine the 

 obelisk of Cassivelaunus, a Roman encampment, two 

 ancient barrows, one in course of being opened, and a 

 facsimile of Rousseau's tomb. 



Leeds Naturalists' Club and Scientific Association. 

 — At the meeting held on Aug. 20th, Mr. John Stubbins, 

 F.G.S., F.R.M.S., presiding, Mr. Oswald Dawson showed 

 the following shells taken in the immediate vicinity of 

 Leeds : — Planorbis corneus, Limncea stagnalis, L. vortex, 

 Helix rotundata, Pupa umbelicata, Clausilia rugosa, Coc/i- 

 licopa (zua) lubrica. Mr. W. Kirkby exhibited the follow- 

 ing plants from Grange and district : — Epipactus palustris, 

 Climatis vitalba, Polypodiam calcarium, Myrica Gale, in 

 fruit; Rhamnus frangida, in fruit; Andromeda polifolia, 

 Rhyncospora alba, Geranium pusillum, Clavaria cineria. 

 Mr. J. W. Addyman also showed the following plants : 

 Sonchus arvensis, Angelica sylvestris, Hypericum hirsutum, 

 Eupatorium cannabium, Gymnadenia Conopsca, Galium 

 palustre, Epilobium hirsutum, E. montanum, E. parvi- 

 florum, Lactuca muralis, Sparganium ramosum, Alisma 

 planlago, Stachys sylvatica, Chrysanthemum odorum, 

 Betonica officinalis, Potamogeton perfoliata. 



Falmouth Naturalist Society. — This Society held 

 its fifth field meeting on Friday, 24th inst., at Perran 

 Wharf Valley. The party left Market Strand, Falmouth, 

 and after a pleasant drive reached Sticken Bridge, where 

 they were met by Mr. T. J. Porter (of Perran Wharf), 

 who kindly pointed out the various objects of interest 

 en route to Ponsanooth. Several elvan courses exist 

 within a radius of a few miles of this neighbourhood. 

 The first runs through St. Gluvias' parish, Penryn, and 

 appears again at Mylor. This elvan is coarse-grained, 

 and contains a large quantity of mica. At St. Gluvias it 

 is about 4 ft. wide, dips 40 degs. S., and is very soft and 

 porphyritic. The next elvan is in the granite at Penvose, 

 from whence it runs on to Enys, where it is crossed by 

 another from Treleaver. It is a hard fine-grained 

 quartzo-felspathic rock, with patches of mica, and a few 

 crystals of felspar. Another elvan may be seen on the 

 shore at Carclew. It holds the same course as the one 

 at Carnon Gate. Two el vans have also been quarried 

 beyond Perran Wharf, at Carnon Gate ; crystals of 

 felspar, changed to kaolin, and mica, are distributed 

 through them. Towards the back and sides of these 

 elvans, isolated blocks of a harder quartzo-felspathic 

 rock, with a greenish base, and crystals of felspar 

 abundantly occur. The slate between this place 

 and Restronguet Bar is very much contorted, 

 forming anticlinal ridges and beds of a soft yellow 

 sandstone from 6 ft. to 20 ft. wide. About 

 two miles north of Penryn, an elvan has been 

 quarried, and cut through by the railway, near the 

 bridge, on the Truro road. It is a branch of the elvan 

 found in the granite at Trelince. At the cutting it is in 

 slate between granite and greenstone, which it cut 

 through. It is very hard, and has a basis of fine-grained 

 quartz, and felspar in places, containing small plates of 

 mica. 



