THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
149
Grove" were visited. They caused much surprise, both from the excellence of
the sections themselves, and from the suddenness of the incoming of the drift,
which there cuts down through the Thanet Sand to the chalk. After an interval
for luncheon the party visited the pits on the Suffolk side of the Stour. They
were so numerous and so full of varied interest that anything like an adequate
description of them would occupy an entire number of the Essex Naturalist,
at least. All therefore, that can be said here, is that in addition to chalk, Eocene
beds, and glacial drift, the Pliocene Red Crag was more or less well displayed in
them. It may, perhaps, be well to add that the "Crag" of East Anglia is sand
containing shells. In short, members of the Geologists' Association must have
felt that both in quantity and quality the geological sections visible at Sudbury
would compare favourably with those of any inland town they had ever visited.
After tea at the "Rose and Crown," and the passing of a hearty vote of thanks to
Dr. Holden and Mr. Whitaker, the great majority of the party returned to London
by the 6.29 train. Six or seven, however, including Mr. Whitaker and the pre-
sidents of the two societies, proceeded northwards to Bury St. Edmunds, where
Mr. Henry Prigg (the well-known discoverer of the only bones probably of
Palaeolithic age that have yet been found in Britain) kindly obtained admission for
them to view the very interesting museum of the town, and also showed them his
private collection of stone implements. The objects of archaeological interest in
Bury, the remains of the Abbey, the magnificent churches of St. James and St.
Mary, the Norman tower, etc., also received their due share of attention. Nor
did the party forget the associations of their hotel, the "Angel," with Mr.
Pickwick, or that Bury was the scene of his nocturnal adventure at the boarding
school for young ladies. T. V. Holmes.
Capture of a Large Trout in Cripsey Brook, Ongar.—On Tuesday as
the pupils at the Grammar School at Ongar were clearing out a hole in Cripsey
Brook, at the bottom of Dr. Clark's field, in search of fish, they caught a very
fine salmon trout, weighing over two pounds, and about eighteen inches in length.
This fish being remarkably scarce in the neighbourhood, considerable interest has
been taken in the capture. It is said that about five or six years ago Mr. Rodwell,
of High Laver, put into the river about 2,000 small trout, the consequence being
that at various times since small trout have been caught. One weighing over one
pound was caught last year at Moreton. and another was caught at Passingford
Mill. The remarkably fine specimen found on Tuesday may now be seen alive in
Dr. Clark's new swimming bath. There is said to be another trout in the vicinity
of the Railway Bridge.—" Essex County Chronicle," July 8th, 1887.
Section in a new Railway Cutting at Maldon.—Mr. E. A. Fitch having
kindly informed me of the existence of a section from thirty to forty feet deep on
the line of railway now being constructed from Maldon to Woodham Fen,
I visited it under his guidance on June 23rd. The cutting we inspected is west
of the town of Maldon, and ranges in a nearly north and south direction. It lies
between the two westerly roads which unite near Danbury, and the more northerly
of which cuts through Maldon Camp, being a few yards west of the camp and
east of Maldon Hall. The beds disclosed consisted of gravel and loam of glacial-
drift age overlying London-clay. The section now visible is a very fine one, and,
among other things, illustrates the difficulties encountered by the geological
surveyor in mapping the boundary lines of beds variable in composition and
uniformly soft in character, especially when the sections available are but small and
shallow. In this case, however, the modifications of the geological (drift) map
made possible by the evidence afforded by this cutting are but slight, though the
section is one of great interest, and should be visited by geologists before its sides
are sloped and its glory departed.—T. V. Holmes, F.G.S., July, 1887.