16 



The Naturalist. 



Tate, chairman of the Geological Section reported that the excursion was 

 cliiefly confined to the Millstone Grit series underlying the coal measures. 

 The northern limit of the lower coal measures is bounded by the River 

 Aire, the outcrop of the coal seams running roughly parallel with its 

 southern bank. An outlier of these measures, cut off by denudation, 

 forms an elevation to the east of Shipley Glen, called Hope Hill, 926 feet 

 above sea level. The outcrops of the Halifax soft and hard coal seams 

 were traced along its slopes, capped by the eighty yards band rock, a bed 

 of sandstone to whose protective influence the preservation of this outlier 

 is due. The Millstone Grits with the overlying soft bed shales are of 

 freshwater origin, while the shales of the hard bed indicate Marine 

 conditions. We have a good example of denuding agencies in the ravine 

 scooped out by Eldwick Beck running through Shipley Glen. The Glen 

 terrace of rough rock polished and grooved, and a pocket of Ice-till 

 containing scratched limestone pebbles near to Eldwick Quarry, prove 

 that a glacier flowed over this area during the ice age. The fossils, named 

 by Mr. Spencer were — Soft bed : Rhizodus Hibberti, bones and teeth ; 

 Palseoniscus, scales ; Psammodus porosus, palate ; Holoptychius, scale ; 

 Anthracosia minima ; Cyprides, &c. Hard bed : Goniatites Listeri ; 

 Aviculopecten papyraceus ; Posidonomya minima ; Orthoceros Stein- 

 haueri, &c. Mr. Talbot (president) gave a list of birds observed by 

 himself and other members during the excursion. Resident birds, 23 

 species — meadow pipit, pied wagtail and young (very numerous by the 

 moorland streams), mountain linnet, stonechat and young, yellow- 

 hammer, corn bunting, blue tit, lesser redpole, greenfinch, bullfinch, lap- 

 wing, sparrow-hawk, starling, thrush, blackbird, and magpie. Of 

 summer migrants only 14 species were noted — swallow, martin with 

 young, sand martin, swift, whitethroat, blackcap, whinchat, wheatear, 

 sedge warbler, willow warbler, tree pipit, yellow wagtail, ring ouzel (on 

 the moors), and redstart. Of most of the above it was remarked that 

 they were few in number, especially the warblers. In the Conchological 

 Section, Mr. Henry Pollard (the only representative present) recorded the 

 the finding of but few shells, and those of commonly recurring kinds. 

 Entomological Section : The report was given by Mr. G. T. Porritt, 

 F.L.S. , who said that more species of lepidoptera had been taken or 

 observed than on any previous excursion this season. Amongst them 

 may be mentioned — Acidalia fumata, Chelonia plantaginis, Acronycta 

 menyanthidis, Phycis carbonariella, Larentia coesiata, Anarta myrtilli, 

 Bombyx quercus, Saturnia carpini (larva), Scodiona belgiaria — all on 

 Pombalds Moor ; Abraxas ulmata, plentiful in Hawksworth Wood ; 

 Aplecta nebulosa, Hepialus velleda, Polia Chi (larva), Sesia tipuliformis, 

 Tanagra chserophyllata, &c. , &c. Coleoptera, Mr. H. Crowther : their 

 paucity equalled that of the moUusca, the following being the only 

 species exhibited : — Pterostichus madidus, Otiorhynchus ovatus, Calathus 

 piceus. A vote of thanks to Messrs. Tate and Illingworth, the locai 

 secretaries, and the chairman, brought the proceedings to a close. 



