25G 
THE GEOLOGIST* 
PROCEEDINGS OF GEOLOGICAL SOCIETIES. 
Geologists' Association— On the 20th ult. (Whit-Monday), about fifty 
members made an excursion to Oxford. The party left the Paddington Station 
at eight a.m., and, assembling at Magdalen Bridge, Oxford, proceeded to Sliot- 
over Hill, examining en route the Oxford Clay, Calcareous Grit, Coralline 
Oolite, Kimmeridge Clay, Portland Sands, and the so-called Lower Greensand, 
which forms its summit. 
On the return to Oxford the new museum was visited, under the guidance 
of Professor Phillips, who pointed out the chief objects of interest in it. The 
shafts of the columns round the interior of the building are composed of speci- 
mens of all the most important British rocks and marbles. 
The party next retired to the theatre of the museum, where the Professor 
gave a short but interesting lecture on the beds at Shotover Hill, which he 
considered, from the presence in some of freshwater-shells, to be rather TTealden 
than Lower Greensand. Admission was then kindly given by Dr. Acland to 
the Ratcliffe library, in which there is a fine collection of foreign marbles. 
This was not only the largest muster of the Association for a field-day, but 
the most important and best conducted excursion yet made ; and we record 
with the highest pleasure any symptoms of improvement tending to raise this 
Society to the position it ought to occupy at the head of the Pield Clubs. 
BiCHiioND IxsTiTUTiON. — During the last month our esteemed friend and 
correspondent Edward Wood, Esq., E.G.S., of Richmond, Yorkshire, has 
delivered two highly interesting and instructive lectures on the Formation of 
the Earth, to audiences on each occasion of not less than one hundred and 
seventy persons, at his own residence, the whole of whom, after inspecting the 
treasui'es of his choice museum, were hospitably entertained in the most 
sumptuous manner by the lectiirer. The local papers speak highly of Mr. 
Wood's lectures. One'of them says . — 
" The lecturer purposely abstained from technicalities, and by the use of the 
ordinary phraseology rendered his thoughts with so much perspicuity as to be 
intelligible to the most ordinary capacity. This is a rare quality in lecturers, 
who, as a general rule, care less about instructing their audiences than appearing 
learned themselves. Mr. Wood's departure from this ostentatious display of 
unnecessary learning is well worthy of imitation ; and his modesty has been 
contributory to the information of his hearers. The lecturer spoke for upwards 
of an hour, with the greatest fluency, though entirely without notes, and was 
warmly applauded throughout." 
Happy, indeed, are our Yorkshire friends in being first entertained with 
excellent mental food, and then hospitably banqueted on the delicacies of the 
season. Doubtless, geology will be a very popular science, treated in this 
manner. 
Glasgow Geological Society. — On the 4th of May upwards of twenty of 
the members of this society proceeded by the Caledonian Bailwav on their 
second excursion of this season. The localities examined were Braidwood Gill 
and Nethan valley, in the Upper Ward of Lanarkshire. At Braidwood station 
the party were joined by Mr. Forest, who had kindly come from Ediubhrgh to 
act as guide. Dr. Bankine, of Carluke, having also sent an escort. On entering 
the " gill," a wooded ravine, the hammers of the excursionists were soon busy 
on some transported blocks of very fine greenstone and felstone-porphyries. 
