17'6 



The NatuRxVlist. 



which were Pogonatum nanum, Fhascum suhnlatum, Orthotrichum diaplm- 

 num, and Barhula Hornschuchiana. Hepaticai were not abundant, only 

 six species being collected, the best being some fine examples of 

 Marchantia polymorpha from Hatfield Chase. Lichens were conspicu- 

 ously absent, even Parmelia physodes was' scarce. Fungi were not much 

 sought after, and only about 15 species were noticed, including Morchella 

 esctdenta, Peziza venosa, ^cidium violoe, menthce, and ranun- 

 cidacearum, also the /le^ero-plant, described in the Naturalist last 

 month as Rhizomorplia suhcorticalis. Many algae were collected, but 

 few have been examined as yet ; ISpirogyra crassa was amongst them. 

 For the Geological Section, Mr. J. W. Davis, its president, asked Mr. 

 T. H. Easterfield, of Doncaster — who had been cicerone during the day 

 — to report : he thereupon stated that the party under his charge had 

 started from Doncaster for Messrs. Gibson and Dearden's brick- works, 

 at Balby, inspecting the red sandstone quarry on the opposite side of the 

 road. The brickworks are in a thick bed of glacial tile and clay, said to 

 be 60 feet in thickness, resting on red sandstone. The base is not 

 exposed, but about 30 to 35 feet are worked. It has the usual tough 

 character, and contains a large number of ice-scratched stones, mostly 

 from the coal measures ; one or two being found, however, which appear 

 to have travelled a long distance. About four or five feet from the 

 present base of the works, and about 20 or 25 feet from the surface of 

 the ground there is an apparent division into an upper and lower glacial 

 deposit ; the division of the two being marked by the smoothness of the 

 surface of the lower bed, as though it had been ground ofl:" and polished 

 by the succeeding glacier. Above part of the quarry or pit, a reddish 

 tile has been worked, which contains large masses of gypsum, but 

 comparatively few other stones. Indiscriminately dispersed amongst 

 the clays are beds of sand, lenticular in form and small in size. Having 

 examined the glacial beds at Balby, the party visited the railway cutting, 

 for the line between Doncaster and Conisborough, and noticed the upper 

 magnesian, or Brotherton limestone at the eastern end of the cutting, 

 succeeded by the middle marls and the lower limestones, well shown at 

 Levitt Hagg. Thence along the picturesque banks of the river Don to 

 Conisborough, where the sections exposed at the fire-brick works and 

 beneath Conisborough Castle exhibited the junction of the coal 

 measures and the permian limestone series. Mr. C. P. Hobkirk, F.L.S , 

 of Huddersfield, then exhibited a fine specimen of the so-called Rhizo- 

 morpha suhcorticalis (an abnormal state of the mycelium of a fungus — 

 Polyporus) which he had detached from a dead birch in Green Farm 

 Wood, and made some remarks upon it. He then called upon Dr. 

 Burman to move, and Dr. J. Mitchell to second, the adoption of a 

 vote of thanks to the chairman. This was agreed to, and the proceedings 

 came to an end. — It should be stated that Mr. Winter Cockill very 

 hospitably entertained the party visiting his district to luncheon, at 

 about 2 p.m.— W. D. R. 



