XXXVIU FLORA OF BERKSHIRE 



outlier is to be seen between Woolley Park and Farnborough, further 

 to the south-east is the Beedon outlier, and between that and the 

 main portion of the beds are two or three others. The main mass of 

 the Reading Beds is met with near Curridge Common, where the 

 * bottom bed ' is exposed. From Curridge Common the beds run 

 north-east to Hampstead Park, and then follow the line of the 

 Frilsham and Bradfield Valley along its western and southern side as 

 far as Englefield. Thence the boundai-y becomes much hidden by a 

 thick bed of gravel. Other important outliers north of the Kennet 

 which should be mentioned are those of Snelsmore, Frilsham. Tilo- 

 hurst, Yattendon, and Basildon. South of the Kennet, between 

 Newbury and Enborne, they are to a great extent concealed from view 

 by a widespread and deep accumulation of drift gravels. A large and 

 well-marked outlier is found south of Hungerford, which is capped 

 by London Clay at Bagshot, near Shalbourn ; here the underlying 

 Cretaceous beds have a sharp dip to the north. Southwards of Reading 

 the outcrop of the Reading Beds continues about half a mile wide 

 through Sonning and the Walthams, towards or as fttr as Shoppen- 

 hanger's Farm and Philbert Lodge near Bray. A small belt is found 

 on the south side of the Chalk inlier, on which Windsor Castle is built. 

 At Twyford they are much obscured by drift gravels. About Reading 

 they are lai-gely worked at Coley Hill and Katesgrove, &c. The plastic 

 clays are made into drain-pipes and tiles, and the sands are mixed 

 with the clay to make bricks. 



Between Twyford and • Maidenhead there are several important 

 outliers on the Chalk, as near Wargrave and Cookham Dene. The 

 Wargrave outlier consists of a widespreading mass of the Reading 

 Beds, with two thick outliers of London Clay, which form the hills 

 of Ashley and Bowsey : these hills are capped with pebble gravel, 

 while flints are found on Cookham Dene. At Crazey Hill the Reading 

 Beds consist of light-coloured sands, plastic clay, and the ' bottom bed'' 

 composed for the most part of laminated clay. 



The varied soils formed by these Reading Beds necessarily give rise 

 to a varied vegetation, which includes several local species ; but the 

 beds are much broken up, and are not continuous, but scattered over 

 ji considerable portion of the central and southern parts of Berkshire, 

 so that it would be by no mexns easy, even if desirable, to keep their 

 flora apart from that of the other members of the Tertiary beds. The 

 extensive deposits of drift gravels with which they are covered also 

 increase the difficulties of keeping the flora of the * Reading Beds ' 

 distinct. One must content oneself by saying that where the ' plastic 

 day' is the predominating surface, there plants which prefer an 

 argillaceous soil will be found, so that Carex vesicaria appears in ponds 

 on the clay of ^ the bottom bed,* near Marlstone : in Oare Woods Carex 



