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 

 oi Microtiis were submitted to Mr. E, T. Newton, F.R.S., who 

 identified them as belonging to M. arvalis ? and M. amphihiiis 

 respectively. M. arvalis P is a new record for Ilford, while M. 

 amphihius 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.'' 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," P;of. Geo/. /Issoc, vol. xvi., p. i6i. 

 Reprinted in Essex Naturalist ante pp. 149-151. 



