ABSTRACT OF PROCEEDINGS. XXXV. 
of the northern horizon. These again broke up into fragments 
in all parts of the sky, and electric flashes darted from one to the 
other, making with all the colours a magnificent display, all of 
which was moving to the west like a panorama, with varying 
intensity the aurora lasted until 9-30 p.m. 
3. “The Basalts of Bathurst and the neighbouring districts,” by 
W. J. Cruntes Ross, B.Sc. Lond. F.G.8. (Communicated by 
J. H. Mainey, F...s.) 
In this paper the character of the basalt occurring in the 
neighbourhood of Bathurst, on the Bald Hills, and other hills in 
the vicinity, is described. Specimens from various localities have 
been obtained, microscopic sections cut from them, and chemical 
analysis made. It has been found that there are some differences 
in the microscopic structure of the rocks from hills close together, 
but the chemical analysis shews them to be all closely related. 
The silica was found to be about 47 per cent., but reached 50 per 
cent. on Mt. Pleasant. The alumina, oxide of iron, lime, and 
Magnesia were also determined. For comparison with the Bathurst 
basalt, which no doubt originally flowed as a lava from some 
centre of volcanic activity, and in order to trace the source from 
which it came, specimens were examined from all the places 
within forty miles of Bathurst, where basalts are known to occur. 
There are three such localities—(1) Blayney and Carcoar, (2) 
Orange district, (3) Oberon and Swatchfield. The rocks from 
Blayney and Orange were found to differ considerably from the 
Bathurst basalt, the Orange rock yielding 55 per cent. of silica. 
The character of the country also renders it unlikely that a lava 
would flow from either district to Bathurst. Oberon and Swatch- 
field, on the other hand, are on the Macquarie River system, 
upon which river Bathurst is situated. It was, therefore, inter- 
esting to find that basalt from Oberon agreed more closely in 
chemical composition with the Bathurst rocks than either of the 
others did, and was of the same type microscopically. The late 
Mr. C. 8. Wilkinson was of opinion that the Bathurst basalt 
