279 



AN EXCURSION TO TOPCLIFFE, VORKS. 



The members of the Yorkshire Xaturahsts' Union held their 

 first excursion for the year in the vicinity of Brafferton and 

 TopcHffe. There was a very representative gathering of 

 Yorkshire Xaturahsts, the botanists being particularly well 

 represented. The mx3Xologists spent the week-end in the 

 district, and were consequently able to more thoroughly explore 

 the neighbourhood than were their colleagues in other sections, 

 who had a short day only. 



Some of the members, fortunate in securing the use of a 

 motor car, visited the more outHing geological sections, and 

 also examined some remarkable earthworks near the river at 

 Topcliffe. There is an excellent section in a morainic mound, 

 exposed in a gravel pit close by. This yielded a fair percentage 

 of boulders of Carboniferous hmestone, sand-stones and cherts. 

 In the floor of the pit was a large boulder of Lake District 

 andesite. 



One of the questions which the geologists hoped to settle 

 was the precise boundary of the Liassic shales. Unfortunately, 

 the only sections occur in the river bed, and as the waters were 

 swollen with the recent rains, there was no opportunity of 

 deciding the matter. 



By the kindness of the schoolmaster, the meetings were 

 held in the schoolroom, the train service enabling the members 

 to take their time over what is often a hurried item in the 

 programme. Dr. W. G. Smith occupied the chair, and there 

 were some very interesting reports presented by the representa 

 tives of the various sections. 



There were thirteen new members elected, and three societies 

 were affiliated with the Union. As usual, the land-owners gave 

 every facility to the members, and the party was particularly 

 indebted to Mr. ]\Ia3-nard for his personal help and guidance. 



Before concluding the meeting, reference was made to Dr. 

 W. G. Smith's removal to Edinburgh, and the loss which the 

 Union and the county would consequently sustain. The 

 members conveyed their best wishes to Dr. Smith in his new 

 •duties. 



The following reports on the work accomphshed have since 

 been received : — 



Entomology. — Mr. M. L. Thompson writes that the dis- 

 trict was investigated so far as time would permit by Messrs. 

 W. Denison Roebuck, W. Hewett, and himself. The most 



1908 July I, 



