Keports of Societies. 



47 



we have various members of the millstone grit series — the rough rock, 

 third grits, and the Kinder Scout grits. The sandstone rocks of Wharn- 

 clilfe Craggs belong to the Greenmoor rock (or Elland flag rock). The 

 lowest coal is the so-called soft coal of Deepcar, 60 yards above which we 

 have the well-known gannister coal, which varies in thickness from two 

 to four feet. The general character of the gritstones of the lower coal 

 measures is like that of the millstone grit. The main direction from 

 which the material of the beds of both formations have been drifted is 

 north-east. It has long been thought by geologists that the grit rocks 

 must have been derived from the granite, but the quartz and felspar are 

 rarely found associated together so closely as to indicate the character of 

 the original rock. Mr. Sorby has, however, detected some actual jDebbles 

 of a granite which is quite different from any met with in England, but 

 closely resembles the coarse-grained granite of Korway. These facts seem 

 to prove that in the carboniferous epoch a large tongue of land projected 

 from the coast of Norway into what is now the North Sea, and it was 

 from the detritus of that ancient land that the grits and sandstone of the 

 coal measures and millstone grit were mainly derived. Boulder beds : 

 The district about Sheffield is very free from erratics and glacial drift. 

 This may be attributed to the high ground of the Pennine chain cutting 

 off the glacial currents which came down East Lancashire from this 

 district. Mr. Sorby has, however, found a few pebbles of granite and 

 other travelled boulders, but they are so few that the manner in which they 

 came is very uncertain. An interesting discussion took place concerning 

 the premature decay of many of the fine oaks and other trees in Wharn- 

 cliffe Woods. Mr. Samuel Drew, F.R.S., D.Sc.E., said that this was 

 probably owing to the exhaustion of the potash from the soil, and that 

 perhaps some other trees might succeed better, on the same principle as 

 a rotation of crops. A number of fossils collected during the day, chiefly 

 by the secretary, were placed on the table and named. The secretary 

 (Mr. James Spencer) reported to the general meeting : The rocks of the 

 district of the day's ramble, belonging to the lower coal measures, con- 

 tain a rich suite of organic remains — the gannister coal being well known 

 for its fossils, both animal and vegetable. The roof of the coal contains 

 an abundance of marine shells and fishes, while the coal itself contains 

 certain round balls, rich in vegetable remains. He had found to-day 

 Dadoxylon Oldhamii (a kind of pine), Lepidodendron selaginoides, 

 Sigillaria vasculare, S. organum, Stigmaria ficoides, Amyelon, fern 

 stems, and spores in abundance ; while the baum-pots had yielded 

 Goniatites Listeri, G. Looneyi, Orthoceras, Nautilus, Aviculo-pecten 

 papyraceus, Posidonomya, and other shells. Dr. Parsons had found 

 in the shales at Wharncliffe Anthrocosia, Goniatites Listeri, Aviculo- 

 pecten papyraceus, Posidonomya, Stigmaria ficoides, while fine specimens 

 of lepidodendrons in the stone had been observed by other members. 

 Dr. Parsons, F.G.S., of Goole, secretary of the Botanical Section, 

 reported as follows : — The places visited during the day were Oughti- 



