166 CHARLES CARD ALE BABINGTON. [1852—53 



A little beyond the castle there is a high point jutting out 



into the sea from which the view is beautiful, and the white rocks 

 near to it are most curiously formed. Went on along the new road 

 to the sand hills at about a mile from Port Rush, then turned inland 

 by a road that crossed that from Coleraine, at right angles near 

 Beardiville, and returned by the latter to Bush Mills. Near the 

 chapel there is an interesting ravine through which the river flows, 

 and a pond occupying a hollow formed apparently by a sinking of 

 the basaltic stratum. Near the upper bridge on the left as you 

 approach the town are some fine rude and massive basaltic columns. 

 Found a Thalidrum on the Port Rush sands in plenty in one small 

 spot, also a Violet, apparently V. lutea amoena in the same place, but 

 generally diffused over the sands. Saw no other plants of interest. 

 A beautiful and interesting walk. 



Sept. 20. Went by public car to Coleraine, a neat town. Stayed 

 there about two hours, and then went by coach through Ballymoney 

 to Ballina, and by rail to Belfast. 



Sept. 23. To Cambridge. 



Nov. 13. After a long continuance of wet weather, and two 

 whole days rain, with a northerly wind, the river rose higher than 

 it had done for many years. It reached the lower edge of the fifth 

 stone below the cornice on the east side of the western arch of 

 St. John's bridge, was over the road at Newnham, so as to stop foot- 

 passengers, over the footpath behind Trinity Walks, over the stone- 

 work of the new sluice at Jesus Piece. My bedmaker, living in the 

 last house in Fisher's Lane near the great bridge, had two feet of 

 water in her house. 



1853. Did not sleep away from home during the winter, the 

 earlier part of which was singularly mild. The month of March was 

 on the contrary more than usually cold, with heavy falls of snow. 



May 5. Hiley and I went to the station of Muscari racemosum 

 at Cherry Hinton, and found plenty of it in flower. 



May 10. First meeting of the Cambridgeshire Naturalists' Club 

 at Brandon. Carter, Newbould, and I started in the rain, and were 

 joined at Ely by Marshall. We breakfasted at Brandon. We took 

 the Norfolk side of the country. Turning to the left at the forking 

 of the road, just after passing the railway, we examined with success 

 the hedge banks, etc. Turning again to the left we passed through 

 the fir wood, and across the open fields to the point where the 

 Hockwold road crosses the Foss. (The Foss was not a road but a 

 boundary line similar to those in Cambridgeshire, with the ditch on 

 the eastern side.) Then went northwards along the latter to where 

 the Lynn road crosses it at about the eighty-first milestone. Returned 

 along that road and visited the old castle at Weeting, which is the 

 rather extensive remains of a moated tower with slight outworks. 



