SOME ESSEX WELL-SECTIONS. 47 



1883. The plant occurred in some quantit}- in eacii localitj-. — H. N. DlxON. 

 F.L.S., Wickham House, East Park Parade, Northampton, January nth, 1892. 



Development of Buds. — Now that buds are swellingr on trees and shrubs, it 

 will be interesting to notice the order of their development and the comparative 

 vigour of shoots growing from terminal, axillary and accessory buds. I do not 

 think such matters dependent on accident nor altogether on outward circum- 

 stances. The stem of a large elder tree is not produced by continuous growtii 

 from the plumule ; its upper part is formed by the growth of a lateral bud below 

 the curve which is made b}' the original stem. Not only so, but I have observed 

 that on a stem from which the top has been broken off the most vigorous bud will 

 be an accessory bud growing from immediately below a small branch of la^t year. 

 I think that this vigorous growth in the second year of accessory buds which had 

 been latent during the premature development in the first year of the principal 

 ixillary bud is not confined to the elder, but occurs in the grape vine, and other 

 plants with woody stems. — JOHN GiBBS, Chelmsford. 



Mineral Spring at Wanstead. — In Thomson's "Life and Times of 

 George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham," vol. i., p. 257 (Lond. i860), quoting 

 " Inedited Letters in the State Paper Office, Mr. Chamberlain to Sir Dudley 

 Carlton, July, 1819," it is stated that "a mineral spring was about this time 

 discovered at Wanstead, and there was such ' running there' by lords and ladies, 

 that the spring was almost ' drawn dry,' and if it should hold on," writes Mr. 

 Chamberlain, " it would put down the waters at Tunbridge, which, for these three 

 or four years, have been much frequented, especially in summer." Is this spring 

 known ? and, if so, can any reader give some information about it ? — B. G. 

 Cole, Buckhurst Hill. 



SOME ESSEX WELL-SECTIONS. 



(Part III.) 



By \V. WHITAKER, B.A., F.K.S., F.G.S., Assoc. Inst. C.E. 

 [Read January 3olh, /"^2.] 



'T*HE number of Essex well-sections published, up to the end of 

 the year 1889, was 239 (see Essex Naturalist, vol. iii, p. 

 44). Four others, mostly shallow ones, have lately been added 

 {/h'd. vol. V, pp. 204, 216, 217), situated at Felstead and Little 

 Dunmow. This paper adds 33 more, and therefore brings up the 

 total to 276. 



The only section of general interest is that at Shoebury, which is 

 one of the deepest in the county. Unfortunately, from a geologic 

 point of view, it does not pass through the Cretaceous beds, stopping 

 short in the Chalk, and so gives us no information as to what forma- 

 tion next underlies the (lault there. Its interest, therefore, is 

 prospective, and suggestive of the advisability of deepening the 

 boring as an experiment. 



