Reports of Socieiies. 



189 



Mr. J. Spencer, the secretary, gave an account of his journey from 

 Halifax to Keighley, and via Morton Banks to Ilkley, the chief object of 

 which was to get some information about the geological position of the 

 coal bed formerly wrought at Morton Banks. Some years ago he had 

 obtained some very good fossils (Goniatites reticulatus) exactly similar to 

 those which occur in the third grits of Wadsworth Moor, near Halifax. 

 The Morton Banks coal bed appears to have been in the third grit (near 

 the base), and at a depth of about 180 feet below the surface of the 

 cannel. This seam of coal appears to have extended over the greater 

 portion of the Millstone grit moors, but with very variable thickness — 

 from a mere trace up to one or two feet. It is said that at Morton Banks 

 it reached a thickness of four feet, but this extreme thickness was most 

 probably merely a '^pocket." Mr. H. B. Sewell exhibited a number of 

 fossils from the neighbourhood, but for the most part badly preserved ; 

 a set of glaciated boulders from the district were very interesting : they^ 

 appear to be all of local origin, and chiefly limestone boulders with i^ 

 scratchings. There was one very interesting boiilder of black limestone, 

 which was polished as smooth as glass, obtained from Rombalds Moor. 

 Vertebrate Section — Mr. Lister : About 20 resident birds were noted, 

 among them being gargany, teal, lapwing, marsh-tit, &c. Of the 13 

 spring migrants the most noteworthy were the lesser whitethroat and 

 ring ousel, also a nest of the grouse. Conch ological Section — Mr. Taylor : 

 The list of moUusca, though consisting mainly of widely-distributed 

 species, contains three (Helix rupestris, Balea perversa, and Clausilia 

 dubia) with a parti^-lity for places of some elevation. This fact points to 

 the increasing altitude of this neighbourhood, and is of interest as showing 

 the lowest portion of Wharfedale harbouring those species. On the 

 summit of the hills at the head of the dale they are exceedingly common, 

 and apparently difiused throughout North-west Yorkshire on the elevated 

 lands. Clausilia laminata and Helix fusca, both local species, were found 

 near Addingham. Zonites glaber and Helix sericea were not uncommon 

 in the immediate vicinity of Ilkley, and several beautiful forms of common 

 species were found, amongst which may be mentioned Cochlicopa tridens, 

 var. crystallina, C. lubrica, var. lubricoides, and Pupa umbilicata, var. 

 alba. The total list contains 22 species and 4 varieties of land shells, 

 some of them being of considerable interest. Botanical Section — Dr. 

 Parsons : 203 vasculares were observed during the day. Bolton Woods 

 had yielded many rarities, as TroUius europseus. Geranium sylvaticum, 

 Lathrsea squamaria, Paris quadrifolia, Crepis paludosa, Sesleria coerulea, 

 and Equisetum maximum. Near Farnley grew Cardamine amara, Lactuca, 

 muralis, Prunus Padus, Salix pentandra, and Equisetum sylvaticum (with 

 cones) ; at Denton, Myosotis sylvaticus and Doronicum Pardalianches ; 

 at Eldwick, Comarum palustre and Ranunculus Lenormandi; at Skipton, 

 Geranium lucidum ; and at Cottingley, G. phseum and G. pyrenaicum. 

 The moorland flora included Vaccinium Myrtillus, V. Vitis-Idsea, Empe- 

 tium nigrum, Eriophorum, &c. Of escapes from cultivation were found 



