50 



found at Brighton, Portland, Torquay, and many places around 

 Cornwall, up the Bristol Channel and along the South Wales 

 coast. The raised beach is usually covered up by a ' head ' or mass 

 of debris washed down from above. In the beaches, shells, all of 

 existing species, are found. Flint weapons had been found in the 

 head in one instance. 



Glacial At the second meeting, on January 21st, 1909, 



Action. ]y[ r> Parkinson Curtis read a paper on "Glacial 



Action South of the Thames," in which he argued that from the 

 denudation of the chalk from the anti-clinal of Sussex and of 

 Purbeck, and the almost complete obliteration of the superimposed 

 strata, and from the admitted facts of giaciation north of the Thames, 

 there must have been local giaciation in Devon, Dorset, and 

 Sussex. Twelve members were present. 



Geology of The third meeting, on February 18th, was held in 

 Portland. the new rooms at Granville Chambers, when Dr. 



Moorhead — late cf Weymouth — read a paper on 11 The Geology of 

 Portland," illustrated by blackboard diagrams in coloured chalks 

 prepared by Dr. Ord. The four strata entering into the structure of 

 the Island of Portland were described — Kimmeridge clay, Portland 

 sand, Portland stone, and Lower Purbeck Beds. Their formation, 

 organic remains, commercial uses, and relationships, were detailed, 

 and a general account of the geology of this interesting spot was 

 given. Twenty-five members attended. 



Flints. At the fourth meeting, on March 18th, 1909, Mr. 



H. B. Wells read a paper on Flints. He referred 

 to the enormous amount of chalk that must have been denuded 

 away to provide the vast number of flints found in the neighbourhood 

 of Bournemouth, both as gravel deposits and in the Tertiary strata. 

 The various forms of flints, their method of production, and the 

 organic remains found in them were described and illustrated by 

 specimens from the author's collection and from the cabinet of the 

 Society. The chemical composition and the deposition of silex in 

 chalk beds was described and an account of the large sheets ot flint 

 met with in a pit near Salisbury was given, and samples exhibited. 

 In the discussion which followed, the Chairman — Dr. Ord — referred 

 to the possible sources of silica, especially to that from the decom- 

 position of the felspar derived from granite. The silicified tree 

 trunks of the Purbeck beds at Lulworth, occurring in fresh-water 

 strata, were mentioned by Dr. Moorhead. About twenty members 

 attended the meeting. 



Excursion round The first excursion of the summer session on 

 the Isle of Wight, yi^y 27th, consisted of a trip by steamer round 

 the Isle of Wight, to study the natural sections displayed in the 



