MANUSCRIPT OF THE LATE JOHN BROWN. 289
latest August, 1859. Since Mr. Brown died in November, 1859,
there is no doubt that we have here the geological notes made
during the latter part of his life, and judging by internal evidence
the book was probably commenced about 1850 and the earlier
entries copied into it. One of the most interesting features is a
list of his correspondents, and we find there the names of Pro-
fessor Owen, Professor Tennant, Dr. Falconer, Dr. Edwin
Lankester, Mr. G. B. Sowerby, Mr. S. V. Wood, Mr. E. Charles-
worth, Mr. John Moore, Mr. S. Stuchbury, Mr. John Pickering,
Mr. J. W. Flower, and many others who may well be styled
"the early fathers of English geology." No mention is made
of Copford, Beaumont, or Grays, but with these exceptions, this
book contains the materials on which his scientific papers have
been founded, so that there is no need of an extended notice.
Of great interest is a catalogue of 163 bones and teeth of mam-
malia from the Pleistocene of Clacton, and Mr. Brown added
that "this list is copied from Mr. Waterhouse's notes taken by
that gentleman at the time he came to convey the collection to
the British Museum in August, 1852."
There is also a list of the " bones found with Roman Pottery,
All Saints, Colchester, 1852," and a further one of " bones and
teeth found on Mr. Tabor's garden with Roman Pottery in 1850.
St. Mary-at-Walls, Colchester."
As may be expected, the larger proportion of the notes are
on the Post-Pliocene beds of Essex. Lists of the Mollusca
from Raine, Clacton, and Witham are given, and, in the latter
case, a list by Mr. Pickering has been inserted. In our paper on
"The Post-Pliocene Non-Marine Mollusca of Essex" (ante p. 92)
we have recorded Paludestrina ventrosa from the latter locality.
Examples of this species labelled "Witham" are in the Natural
History Museum, but it is not given in Mr. Brown's list. It is
a brackish-water form, and, as we pointed out, its occurrence in
an inland locality is noteworthy. Moreover, it is not likely to be
confounded with any other species in the list, consequently we
think it possible that an error as to the locality of these
specimens may have been made.
On page 68 of the M.S. is the following note:—
"1856, January 2nd. In an excavation three feet deep at the back of the
house in the garden near the kitchen window, I this [day] placed a live toad
under a flower pot. At the same time and at the same depth from the surface
I placed a small toad, apparently in size about two years old, in an excavation
in the drying ground and marked both the spots."