276 
secretary's report. 
shields. The gorge of the Hodder is a pretty wooded cut through 
compact limestone beds. Here and there springs gush out of the 
hillside and form masses of porous travertine, on which ferns, 
liverworts, and mosses grow in great profusion, forming lovely 
grottoes. On the return journey the beautiful scenery and the 
clear views were much enjoyed, and the deflection of the course 
of the Hodder was noted with much interest. This river once 
ran do\\n the wide valley which passes south-westwards from 
Chipping to the Irish Sea, but has been captured by a tributary 
of the Ribble, and, making a turn eastwards near Sandal Holme, 
has become a tributary of the latter river at Great Mitton, 
three miles south of Clitheroe. 
The General Meeting was held at the Swan Hotel, Clitheroe, 
under the presidency of Mr. Joseph Lomas, F.G.S. The Chair- 
man in his address dealt with the physical and glacial conditions 
of the district. He alluded to the wonderful contortions of the 
limestone beds in the knoll-reefs, which gave the observer the 
idea of a series of eddies. These he believed to be due to the 
flowing of the limestone under severe stress, the rock resisting 
and being drawn out in one place and forced into knobs in 
another. The intermediate shales yielded by sliding layer over 
layer. Mr. Lomas also described the interesting river diversions 
of the locality, the Ribble having captured both the Hodder 
and the Lancashire Calder. The gorge of the Calder at Whalle}^ 
was much wider than that of the Hodder, indicating that the 
capture of the Calder was considerably earlier in geological 
time than that of the Hodder. Mr. Lomas also spoke of the 
glacial conditions of the neighbourhood. 
A short paper describing the geology of Pendle Hill Avas 
read by the Hon. Secretary. A discussion followed in which 
Mr. P. F. Kendall, F.G.S., Mr. J. H. Smith, F.G.S., Mr. W. 
Cash, F.G.S., and others took part. Mr. Kendall said that the 
district of Clitheroe was the battle-ground of two glaciers, one 
moving from the north over Rowland Fells, and bringing down 
local rocks, and another moving from the Irish Sea, and bringing 
inland patches of shell-marl, Scottish granites, and Lake District 
