357 EXCURSION TO THE ISLE OF WIGHT, WHITSUNTIDE, 1906. Directors: THE PRESIDENT, G. W. COLENUTT, F.G.S., and REG. W. HOOLEY, F.G.S. Excursion Secretary: G. W. YOUNG, F.G.S. THE main party left London by the 5 p.m. train from Waterloo. Headquarters for the whole excursion were the Royal Eagle and Albany Hotels, Ryde, which were found very comfortable. Seventeen members stayed at the hotels, and several local resi­ dents joined each day. Saturday, :June 2nd. Directors; THE PRESIDENT AND G. W. COLENUTT. (RepD/·t by G. W. COLENUTT). The members left Ryde by the 8.22 train for Yarmouth for the purpose ofexamining; the cliff sections at Bouldnor, Hamstead, and Thorness Bay. After lea~'ing Yarmouth station the party proceeded to Yarmouth Common, where Mr. Colenutt called the attention of the members to the recent erosion of the coast-line, which has greatly altered since the Association visited the locality in 1895. A sea wall has lately been erected here to preserve the highway and the common. Diagrams were furnished by Mr. Colenutt, and these greatly aided the members in following the details of the coast sections. Proceeding along the high road for a short distance, the members descended to the shore at Bouldnor, and attention was here called to the fact that the basement bed of the Hamstead series (the Black Band), was now obscured at Yarmouth, but from here to nearly as far as Newtown River, the Hamstead Beds could be examined in the foreshore. The party walked eastward along the shore, and many fossils characteristic of the Hamstead marls and clays were found. The richly fossiliferous clays of the White Band were well exposed, and some time was spent in examining these deposits. Below Hamstead Cliff attention was directed to the extensive " mud-glacier" which in winter time is always gradually moving down towards the sea, and exposes the upper part of the Hamstead series. Time did not permit of the members ascending the cliff to examine the Marine Band at the top, but characteristic fossils (Voluta, Cerithium ornatulll, Corbu/a, etc.) were found in abundance on the weathered surface of the talus. Continuing their walk along the shore the members spent some time in further examining the sections of marl in the lower cliffs, 358 EXCURSION TO THE ISLE OF WIGHT, WHITSUNTIDE, 1906. and nearer Newtown River the Black Band was found to be well exposed below the shingle of the beach. The beds here rise up somewhat quickly, and the Bembridge Marls were well in evidence along the shore, being succeeded by the two bands of Bembridge Limestone which stretch out to sea and form Hamstead Ledge. The Osborne Beds are masked by the recent accumulation of sand and shingle which is known as "Hamstead Duvver," and here the members halted for lunch. After lunch the walk was continued to the eastern end of the "duvver," where a boat was in readiness and the party was ferried across the entrance of the Newtown River. The cliffs in Thorness Bay then formed the subject of in­ vestigation. Near the entrance of the river several pieces of bones of Bos primigenius from the alluvium of the river were found on the beach, and a neolithic implement was also discovered. The upper part of the Osborne series only is seen in the cliffs here, and the brilliantly coloured clays yield no fossils. The strata gradually dip in an easterly direction, and the Bembridge Limestone "oon descends to the sea level and forms Saltmead Ledge. The upper band of Limestone is here of a very soft and earthy nature, and this is the only locality in the Island where the perfect shells of the Limnere are preserved; at all other places the fossils are seen in the form of casts only. Excellent specimens of these characteristic fossils were collected, as the Limestone was well exposed. The Bembridge Marls of Thorness Bay were thoroughly worked, and plenty of fossils were collected in the cliff and shore sections. Time did not permit of any work being done in the cliffs on the eastern side of the bay, and the members walked to Great Thorness Farm, where tea was obtained. The party then drove in brakes to Newport, calling on the way at Gunville Brickyard, where one pit showed a good section of Bracklesham Clays in a vertical position, with a peculiar drag over of the upper part of the pit, giving an appearance of a reversed dip; probably due to the steep slope of the hill. In another pit was seen the upper part of the Osborne Clays and the lower part of the Bembridge Limestone. The return journey from Newport was made by the 7.45 train, after an interesting and enjoyable day. The weather, at times threatening, fortunately remained fine. The following day Mr.Colenutt led a small party to King's Quay to examine the Osborne Beds which are there fossiliferous, passing en route, Binstead, where the Bembridge Limestone was formerly quarrIed for building stone, and the picturesque ruins of Quarr Abbey. Wootton Creek was crossed by ferry, and then on the shore at King's Quay a thin band in the Osborne clay was found EXCURSION TO THE ISLE OF WIGHT, WHITSUKTIDE, 1906. 359 to yield the small fish, Clupea vectettsis, but owing to a temporary accumulation of shingle only a small portion of the fossiliferous band could be examined. In the evening Mr. Colenutt invited the party to inspect his collection, which proved of great interest, as all the strata in the Island were represented, especially those of the Tertiary formations. n'hzt-.Yollda)·, June 4th. Director: REG. W. HOOLEY, F.G.S. (R'fort ly THE DIRECTOR.) The members took the field for this excursion in glorious weather. An early start from Ryde in the morning to Newport Station was follQwed by a long drive to Shepherd's Chine. Alighting at the spot where the Military Road crosses the chine the Perna Bed, near the base of the Lower Greensand, was pointed out. Forming Atherfield Point it rises at a low angle and outcrops at the top of the cliff near "Tie Pits," and is exposed in this chine on its curve along the northern flank of the Brighstone anticline, past the village of that name, Mottistone and Brook, to Compton Bay, where, as at Atherfield, it passes out to sea. At the latter place its position may be followed by the eye for some distance across the bay, for at particular times the flow of the tide causes rougher water over it. On the cliff near the mouth of the chine, where a good view of the cliffs and surrounding country is obtained, the Director explained the geology of the district, and the fauna and flora to be found in the section to be examined. Attention was called to a curious small anticline on the eastern flank of the chine, which also appears on the west side. Three prominent seams occur, each about two inches thick. The two lowest are Cyrena limestone, and the uppermost a band of ironstone. Each are separated by about IS feet of shales, The peculiarity is, that the upper Cyrena limestone is bent into an anticline, whilst the band of ironstone and lower Cyrena limt:stone are unaffected. The steepest side of the anticline is to the south, contrary to the great anticlines of the south:east of England. It is not due to sagging of the beds. In thne it is probably coincident with the formation of the main anticline. The old channel of Shepherd's Brook was next examined. In Fitton's day, this brook poured its waters, after many turns and twists, into Cowleaze Chine, and thence into the sea. Now it runs straight into the sea 90 feet below its ancient bed; having cut through the many feet of Wealden Shales, and the thick bed of sandstone which forms the bottom of this chine. Folks of the country-side speak of their grandfathers having 360 EXCURSION TO THE ISLE OF WIGHT, WHITSUNTIDE, 1906. told them, that, in their day, a road passed along the top of the cliff, and only a low bridge was necessary to enable the crossing over the chine to be made. Local legend also has it, that the stream was diverted because a shepherd dammed the water back from Cowleaze Chine to lessen the distance he had to walk for watering his flock, and thus an inchoate breach was made through the shales direct to the sea, instead of meandering parallel to it. It is well to record the date of the visit of the Association, for the denudation of the strata composing the cliff has been so great in recent years that soon all traces of the old channel will be obliterated. Walking down and up the sides of Cowleaze Chine and along the cliff to Barnes High, a precipitous descent brought them to the shore near a green coloured bed full of lignite, from which many Dinosaun"an bones 'lnd teeth, Goniopholis teeth, fruits, seeds, and Unio are obtained, but as eften happens on show occasions it gave up only two or three specimens of Unto to the researches of many hammers. The two characters of the \Vealden strata of Atherfield were noted. The lower group consisting of red, mottled and varie­ gated clays, marls, and sandstones; and the upper of blue shales with thin seams of limestone and thick sandstone. The extreme inconstancy of any given bed of the Wealden strata was well illustrated by a bed which near Cowlea,ze Chine is a compact sandstone and a few hundred yards westward has passed into grey shales, from which the Director procured a fine series of Vertebra, and the bones of the pelvic girdle of Iguanodon bernissartensis in 1890.