10
THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
The close resemblance of the various forms of Ostrea described by Mr.
Bell rendered it highly desirable that they should be figured, and he would
strongly advise that if possible the paper, when published, should be well
illustrated.
Mr. Fox, who had presented some specimens from Mersea, gave some
details of the industry there, and Mr. Dalton and Mr. Thompson also
made some remarks upon the paper.
Mr. George Morris, B.Sc., read a paper 'Some Notes on the vegetation
of Boulder-Clay Wastes in North Essex." The ground covered by the
paper was broadly as follows:—
Geography and Physiography of the area. Geological Factors;
Primitive Flora ; Origin of the Wastes; Modification of Natural Factors
due to Cultivation; Successive Colonisation; Seasonal Aspects; Plant
Associations; Analysis of Waste Flora ; Modification of individual species,
and factors influencing them—Summary.
Mr. Shenstore alluded to the great interest of Essex as a field for
Ecological study and referred to his own papers in the Club's publications,
which detailed many facts of interest respecting the distribution of Trees
in Essex in the old times and now.
The authors of the papers were cordially thanked for their communica-
tions, and the meeting ended.
VISIT TO THE ROYAL ALBERT DOCKS NEW EXTENSION
(434th MEETING).
IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE GEOLOGISTS' ASSOCIATION.
Saturday, 21st March 1914.
This excursion had been arranged by the kind permission of the Port
of London Authority to enable Members of the two Societies to inspect
the splendid sections of the Thames Alluvium, temporarily visible during
the excavations for the new Dock now in progress; the excavations are
about a mile in length.
The members of the party assembled at North Woolwich Station at a
little before 3 o'clock.
The Directors were Mr. George Barrow, F.G.S. (H.M. Geol. Survey),
and Mr. A. Binns, M.Inst.C.E, (the Resident Engineer).
For the purposes of the programme, Mr. Barrow kindly furnished the
following particulars1:—
The sections show Thames Valley Gravel (Ballast) passing upward
into finer gravel and sand in places where the original sequence is preserved.
In this case there is only one bed of lignite or peat, which is overlaid by
woody clay. The modern Alluvium, almost destitute of organic remains,
passes over the whole. In only a very few spots is the full original suc-
cession preserved, and in this case it is seen that at the top there was an
old land-surface, and the roots in this can, in a few instances, be traced
into fragments of stumps of trees. But considerably larger patches occur
in which about one or two feet of the old surface has been denuded and
1 A report of a previous visit of the Geologists' Association to the Docks, by the same.
Directors, will be found in Proc. Geol. Association, vol. xxv , pp. 117—120.