NATURALISTS’ FIELD CLUB

Evening Star, Issue 22379, 1 July 1936, Page 13

NATURALISTS’ FIELD CLUB

INDOOR MEETING On Monday evening a large audience, presided over by Mrs J. A. Moore, attended' the fortnightly meeting of the Naturalists’ Field Club to hear Mr R. Gilkison deliver a talk on ‘ A Trip Round the World.' The speaker had recently returned from a prolonged visit to Great Britain, during which he covered much ground on foot and by bus. As he could not that evening give a good account of his whole journey he showed his route on marked maps, avid then restricted his remarks mostly to his travels in parts of Scotland, North England, Belgium, and South Africa. Interesting features were illustrated by numerous photographs thrown on the screen. In Holland ho noted that the famous white headdress was disappearing. Durham Cathedral, which he considered the most beautifully situated one in England, was chosen as a type. The English lake country was very beautiful. He was much impressed by the expression shown ir ’’e statue commemorating the _ Scot . Canadians in the war memorial in Edinburgh. Reproductions of several manuscripts kept in the National Library of Scotland were shown, among them being the last letter of Mary Queen of Scots and the order for the massacre of Glencoe. He much enjoyed Skye, and he showed pictures of its old-fashioned houses covered with thatch and without chimneys. A very good picture of the house of ‘ A Window in Thrums ' was shown, though the speaker was not favourably impressed by, “Thrums.” •> South Africa was visited on the return journey. Here, among other places he saw Table Mountain, the memorial to Rhodes, the Zambesi Falls, Pretoria with its handsome Government buildings, arid beautifully-built Johannesburg. The pictures of the falls and of the aerial tramway to the top of Table Mountain were specially impressive. Only a brief reference was made to gold workings in Western Australia and to the Sydney bridge. The speaker was delighted with his whole trip, and he urged his hearers to devote some of their time to seeing and enjoying the beautiful sights Nature so bountifully provides on all sides. Mr Gilkison was very heartily thanked for his address. Miss Farquharson sent in her resignation as secretary owing to her continued absence from Dunedin. One new member was elected. Photographs of the boulders at Moeraki, both on the beach and in the cliff face, were shown, and Mr Tily was thanked for the trouble he had taken in connection with the Moeraki trip. Several specimens of shells, especially rock-borers, collected from the Moeraki and Kartigi beaches were exhibited. OUTING TO MOERAKI The club mustered 23 in number on the King’s Birthday, and left Manse street at 8.40 a.in., for the Onekakara or Moeraki Beach, Mr Tily being leader. Objects of geological interest were noted on the way; for example, the two large dykes crossing the main road about halfway up the Kilmog Hill. At Goodwood a halt was made and the basin of River examined; it was noted that this was a small area surrounded by peaked hills, each with a volcanic cap, which had preserved the softer underlying rocks and which was the remnant of former lava flows over the whole area. The next stop was under Pakihiwitahi; here the general geology of the whole of the district was explained and illustrated by maps and diagrams. It was explained that the rocks were nearly all sedimentary rocks similar to those about Green Island and outskirts of Dunedin, and that they were contemporaneous with them, being deposited during a period of from 100 to 50 million years ago. During that time and since then movement of the land has been going on, so that the rock strata had been warped and folded and fractured. The southern face of Pakihiwitahi was shown as an example of how the strata were steeply inclined at that ■ point. Particular reference was made to the mudstones and sandstones of the district, and their tendency to form concretions known as the Moeraki and Kartigi Boulders. The party then proceeded to the Onekakara Beach and had lunch amongst the Moeraki Boulders. After due examination of these boulders and other objects of interest at this beach the party returned to the Kartigi Beach and examined the boulders and bowls to be found there, and the general opinion was that they were even more curious than those of the Onekakara Beach. Unfortunately the tide wns well in and a full traverse of the Kartigi Beach could not be made, so that its full wonders are yet to bo investigated. On the run between the beaches a detour was made to the village of Moeraki, but on account of lack of time no more than a brief glance at the configuration of the land and the departed glory of the settlement could be made. Tea was partaken of on the margin of the Kar-

tigi Beach, and then in nice time to escape the darkness and the rain the bus was hoarded, and the party returned to Dunedin, arriving about G. 45 p.nv