NATURALISTS AT SADDLEWORTH. 



salient points of the scenery around them. The view was most expansive 

 and magnificent, and ever and anon bright flashes of sunhght would 

 illumine the dark summits and escarpments encircling them. The head 

 of the valley from this point appeared like a gigantic amphitheatre, 

 or as may be said, the half of a circular basin with gradually sloping 

 sides scooped out by denudation. A few miles away on the east, 

 was a long escarpment stretching across, known as ' Helpet Edge,' in 

 which Mr. Neild said the outcrops of several coal-seams of the 

 Gannister series occurred, and where some notable discoveries of 

 fossil plants had been made by him. The party now descended the 

 steep side of Noddle to Mr. Watts' residence in the valley, where he 

 displayed to them a splendid set of specimens of erratic blocks he 

 had obtained on the drainage areas of the Oldham Waterworks. 

 They were certainly varied in their character, and must, when com- 

 pleted, throw much light upon the glaciation of the district. To 

 name a very few, they comprised Criffel and Eskdale granites. Lake 

 district felsites, syenites, etc. ; Permian nodule containing Schizodus, 

 Silurian grits and schists, etc. The specimen which occasioned most 

 controversy and speculation was an almost perfect example of a 

 famihar Liassic fossil {Gryphcea iiicurvd) he had obtained from the 

 drift. Could this be a relic of an ancient Liassic area, now altogether 

 removed by denudation, as many other deposits have undoubtedly 

 been ? Mr. Watts most kindly presented each member with a list of 

 the specimens exhibited. He also showed a fine example of a 

 neolithic axe, found in a cleft of the grit at Cudworth Quarry. 



Mr. Watts now conducted the party to inspect the gigantic puddle 

 trench now being constructed for the new reservoir at Lower 

 Castleshaw. He described the character of the strata met with in 

 excavating to the depth of 90ft., viz., surface soil, i ft.; gravel, 13 ft.; 

 sandy loam, 12 ft. ; laminated marl, 3 ft. ; yellow loam, i ft. ; followed 

 by blue shale. Some of the party now made a short detour to inspect 

 an erratic block in the centre of a field. It was examined and 

 measured, but beyond saying that it was a trap-rock, its exact deter- 

 mination must be deferred for a more minute consideration. It was 

 5 ft. by 8 ft. 6 in., and its longest axis north and south. And now Mr. 

 Watts was obliged to leave the party, but before doing so, Messrs. 

 Adam son, F.G.S., and Hemingway expressed on their behalf the great 

 obligations all were under for the care and ability with which he had 

 acted as conductor. 



The Section for Micro-Zoology and Micro-Botany was not 

 represented, and the proceedings were concluded by a vote of thanks 

 to the Professor for presiding, moved by Mr. W. H. Pearson, and 

 seconded by Mr. J. B. Robinson, F.R.M.S. 



Naturalist, 



