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steam engine chimney which crowns the opposite rise, we turned 

 up the hill to the left. The road hitherto had led through a pretty 

 and undulating grass country with woods, on gravel and lias clay. 

 We soon found ourselves on arable land with stone walls; the 

 inferior oolite being exposed in a quarry which we passed. From 

 this rise a fine view is presented looking back to Leckhampton and 

 Church Down Hills. The thickness of the great oolite is here 

 but small, as we soon found ourselves at the quarries where the 

 Stonesfield slate, its highest member, is exposed — having above it 

 a clay, said to represent the Bradford clay. We searched in vain, 

 however, for one of the characteristic shells of that formation — 

 the terebratula digona. The ostrea acuminata is the most preva- 

 lent ; which is found all through the Stonesfield slate. 



Some specimens of the Bee Orchis were dug up to be trans- 

 planted to more civilized haunts ; but Mr. Buckman suggested 

 that one reason why the attempt so rarely succeeds is, that it is 

 usually made while the plant is in flower. Mr. Buckman men- 

 tioned to us several rare plants which were found in this neigh- 

 bourhood, such as the beautiful astragalus hypoglottis, found on the 

 crest of the hill ; the A glycyphyllus, found in the bushes ; the 

 lathy rus sylvestris, in the hedge by the path ascending Agg's hill ; 

 and above all, in Puckham Scrub, the melittus mefissophyllum, 

 " the glory of the Cotteswolds." To some people, be it observed, 

 we might fear to publish this information ; lest ruthless plunderers 

 should attempt to perfect their own collections at the expence of 

 the nature they profess to admire. But far be such thoughts from 

 the members of our Club! Nay, we venture to make known 

 among ourselves, the habitats of these rare plants, in the full con- 

 viction that each Cotteswoldian will not only be moderate in help- 

 ing himself to no more than the locale can well spare, but will be 

 careful to avoid communicating the intelligence to any who are not 

 sufficiently honest and true to nature, to be trusted. Perhaps, 

 indeed, we may be excused for suggesting, that the best way of 

 avoiding the betrayal of nature's secrets to such persons, would be 

 the carefully eschewing their company altogether. 



On this occasion, however, the Club, it seems, did not even suc- 

 ceed in feasting their eyes on them ; for having whetted their 

 appetites most keenly among the oyster beds of the Stonesfield 

 slate, they, by an unfortunate mistake, it appears, missed the road 

 through Puckham Scrub, and took, instead, the direct road to 

 Cheltenham, where in some degree — the dinner — but in a much 

 greater degree the first part of Dr. Wright's interesting lecture ok 

 the echinoderms served to console the members for the loss of the 

 melittus melissophyllum. 



On August 5th, the Club commenced its third meeting at the 

 hospitable board of our member Mr. W. Phelps, at Chestal, near 

 Dursley; from whence — after examining some curious masses 

 of recent calcareous tufa, containing leaves of plants, shells, &c, 

 which were quarried at the bottom of the grounds, and, affording a 

 lasting as well as picturesque weather stone, are built into many 

 of the walls, — we crossed the valley and ascended the opposite hill 



