Yorkshire Naturalists at Knaresborough. 187 
similar gap in the geological record occurs between the lime- 
stone and the drift. What was taking place in the Knaresbor- 
ough area while thousands of feet of strata were being deposited 
in other parts of the country, it is difficult to say. There is 
nothing to give any clue. 
With the exception of the pebbles already referred to. and 
a few plant impressions, the Grit yielded but little. The 
curious way in which they weathered, especially around the 
lake at Plumpton, was very striking, and enabled the ‘ false- 
bedded ’ structure to be seen quite well. Similarly, the Permian 
beds were quite barren, and even the characteristic crystal- 
lined cavities which one member seemed so anxious to in- 
vestigate, were not to be seen. It was obvious that any or- 
ganic remains there may have been in these beds had been 
entirely removed by the various agencies which had been at 
work in moulding the limestone’s present form. 
True, in the ‘ Dropping Well,’ which is kept under lock 
and opened only with the usual silver key, there are ‘ petri- 
factions ’ which might have been carted away by a curio- 
monger had there been such in the party. But these ‘ fossilized 
birds’ nests, fossilized boots,’ and so on were merely objects 
coated over by the lime from the super-saturated water 
forming the well, in recent (in some cases very recent) times ! 
In some way, even the glacial clays and gravels forming 
the moraines and other conspicuous features in the Nidd 
Valley, were not very prolific in interesting erratics. Boulders 
and pebbles of Carboniferous limestone and sandstone — many 
glacially striated, abounded everywhere ; but the members 
failed to find a single identifiable igneous rock which would have 
given some idea of the former direction of the glaciers in the 
neighbourhood. One specimen certainly might have been 
had it been properly examined, but the person who endeavoured 
to chip it was obviously out of practice and hit his hand in- 
stead of the stone, calling forth an expression almost Shavian 
in its brevity, and certainly it resulted in the subsequent 
proceedings troubling him no more. 
But from the configuration and position of these drift beds 
it was obvious that the great Ice Age had played an important 
part in the formation'of the physical features of the vicinity, as 
well as in the very course of the River Nidd itself. The nature 
of these changes, and the appearance of the county and the 
courses of the streams in pre-glacial times, were problems which 
suggested themselves after a brief visit — problems which it 
was hoped would be solved by future workers. 
As an instance of the practical application of local materials 
in early times was an old quern or hand-mill for grinding 
corn, which was found in a corner of the garden which formed 
the headquarters of the Union during the week end. This 
1914 June 1. 
