BRISTOL NATURALISTS' SOCIETY 
From the Bristol Daily Post of October 17th, 1865. 
SECTIONAL MEETINGS. 
Geological Sfctiox, Sept, 29 — Spveral members and 
visitors met for the last geological walk of the peaann at 
the Bristol terminus, and, after a pleasant drive to Whit- 
church, walked over a portion of the North Somerset Rail- 
way, by the kind permission of the contractor. Mr, W, 
Sanders, F.R.S., president, pointed out the junction of the 
Coal measures with the New Red Sandstone, and also the 
junction of the latter with the Lias. The rail way cuttines 
in this neighbourhood are principally in the Lias, the lime- 
stone beds of which are unusually fine and of jrreat thickness, 
especially in the division of the series known as the White 
Lias. The members were successful in obtainingr a larg^w num- 
ber of fossils, sonae of which were quite new t« the district. 
The most worthy of notice were a specimen of Ammm 
semisulcatus, not often fieured. Am. Conybpari, Am. Ruck- 
landi, Lima gigantea. Modiola, two fine Pectens, Rhvn- 
chonella, two species of Terebratula, and also of Cerithium, 
Ostrea, Cardinia, spines of Hemipedina. scales of Pboli- 
dophorus, and two species of coral, resembling Lith«strotinn 
or Syringophora. Several gigantic Septaria were seen in 
situ. After spending a pleasant afternoon in the examina- 
tion of these interesting fossils, the members returned via 
Whitchurch to Bristol. 
Botanical Section, Oct. 3. — The last walk of the 
season was devoted to an esamination of the neighbourhood 
of the lower part of the river Trvm. The members met 
their President. Mr, Leipner, on Dnrdham-down, and pro- 
ceeded on the Kingsweston road as far as Mill-piH-bridtre, 
when the party descended to the banks of the stream, which 
was very low from the continuance of dry weather. The 
Nasturtium officinale was observed growing bpre as well as 
some other aquatic plants, and the patches of 0->cillatoria on 
the banks resembled cushions of dark green velvet. In the 
copse below the bridere a few common ferns, as Polypodium, 
Scolopendrium, and Filix-mas, were noticed, much withered 
for want of water; and the very forward condition of the 
next year's leaf-buds on many trees attra'^ted much atten- 
tion. A little lower were seen the plants of Cochlearia offi- 
cinalis, and in the stream erenerallv some fine species of 
Oonfervoid Algae. Aster trifolinm, Plantago maritima, and 
Spergularia maritima were growing near the banks, and 
under the bridge at Sea Mills a quantity of Enteromorpba 
intestinalis. The river yielded a large number of the 
microscopic organisms known as Diatoms, those free on the 
mud being chiefly Nitzsohia tasoia, Pinnularia viridis. and 
Navicula tumens, while among the algae were found 
Nitzschia angalaris, Diatoma elongana, a species of Pleuro- 
sigma, and more rarely Snricella striatula. Near tho con- 
fiuence of the At^n and Trvm were seen Papaver Rbjeia 
and Anthenus nobilis. A fine plant of Conium maculatum 
was found, and an abundance of Polygonum aviciil<ire and 
Atriplex patula. A few stunted specimens of Knantia, 
Senecio, and others were met with, but the flowering plants 
generallv were in a very dry condition. 
