164 PLEISTOCENE DEPOSITS AT
species is for the first time recorded in a fossil state in this
country and thus takes it place as a member of the Pleistocene
fauna.
A portion of a femur and a small right second upper molar
of Microtus were submitted to Mr. E. T. Newton, F.R.S., who
identified them as belonging to M. arvalis ? and M. amphibius
respectively. M. arvalis ? is a new record for Ilford, while M.
amphibius is also known from the old Uphall sections.
The most important new sections of the Ilford brickearths
are described by Mr. J. P. Johnson in the present issue of the
"Essex Naturalist." I visited these sections in his company
and I agree with him in his conclusions.
East of Seven Kings' Water on the northern side of the
High Road is situate a ballast pit, belonging to the Great
Eastern Railway at a height of 60 feet O.D. This pit was
visited by the Geologists' Association during their excursion to
Ilford on May 13th, 1899. My notes, judging from the report,
on that occasion seem to have been a little more voluminous than
those of the director of the excursion.3 The following is the
section exposed as noted by me.
1. Loam, with a seam stained with Manganese at the
base, and one or two pebble bands in the middle
part, about 3 to 6 feet.
2. Gravel, very evenly stratified, with two beds, a few
inches thick, of white quartz sand in one place,
and occasional lenticular patches of sand. The
stones were, for the most part, small pebbles of
flint and quartz. Several clay ironstones were
observed in the gravel, which had been oxidised
and coverted into ochre. The thickness of the
gravel shown was about 18 feet with water
occurring at its base.
Conclusions.
From the evidence afforded by the High Terrace Drift the
author has come to the conclusion that this series, and probably
some of the older members of the Middle Terrace gravels repre-
sent a time during which the climate was severe enough for the
Thames to be periodically frozen over. (Of course, if only the
higher reaches of the river were frozen over, this would be
3 T. V. Holmes.—"Report on Excursion to Ilford," Proc. Geol. Assoc., vol. xvi., p. 161.
Reprinted in Essex Naturalist ante pp. 149-151.