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YORKSHIRE AND LANCASHIRE NATURALISTS 

 AT SADDLEWORTH. 



The June Meeting of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union was held 

 close to the Lancashire and Cheshire border of the county on the 

 1 6th of the month, for the purpose of exploring a district which, 

 although politically in Yorkshire, is drained by a Lancashire river. 

 On this occasion the excursion was joined in by a number of 

 Lancashire naturalists, including Messrs. W. H. Pearson, of 

 Eccles, and F. Bower, of Manchester, E. Collier, of Manchester, 

 John R. Byrom, of Fairfield, Councillor James Nield, of Oldham, 

 J. B. Robinson, F.R.M.S., of Mossley, and Thomas Hick, B.A., B.Sc, 

 of the Owens College, the latter an old and valued member and 

 former vice-president of the Union. The morning opened in an 

 inauspicious manner, the black clouds appearing to threaten a 

 downfall, but as the day wore on matters improved meteorologically, 

 and the day's explorations were carried out with comfort. Two 

 parties were arranged. One, a geological one, was the most 

 numerous, and under the able charge of Mr. W. Watts, F.G.S., the 

 engineer to the Oldham Waterworks, worked round by Castleshaw 

 and Denshaw from Diggle to Uppermill. The narrative of this route 

 is given further on in the report of the Geological Section. The 

 other party started from Greenfield Station, and had for its object the 

 investigation of the Greenfield Valley. The ground over which this 

 party was to work is grouse moor, and Mr. Lees, of Oldham, to 

 whom the shooting rights appertain, gave permission to the Union to 

 investigate it. He also instructed one of his keepers to accompany the 

 party, and this added much to the enjoyment of the members and 

 the success of their investigations. The keeper was an intelligent 

 companion and an efficient guide, and not only did he protect his 

 master's game, but did so without hindering in the least the careful 

 search for plants and insects which was kept up throughout the day. 

 The line of route, after a brief halt at Bill's-o'-Jack's, was along the 

 bottom of the valley up to the Seal Bark Rocks and over the moor 

 to Bill's-o'-Jack's again, and thence over the Church Moors to 

 Uppermill. On the way was passed the curious pile of stones called 

 ' Pots and Pans,' where the keeper informed the members, to the 

 undisguised interest of one at least, that at the time of the repeal of 

 the Corn Laws, the largest hollow, a capacious one withal, was filled 

 with brandy-punch. Further on were the Fairy Holes, a narrow cleft 

 in the rocks which runs underground for about forty yards. At this 

 point the investigation ceased, for there was now but time to reach 

 Uppermill. 



July 1888. 



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