fossils, but sometimes the fine markings of the shells of echini are 

 beautifully in-cserved. More iutcrestiug still, below and miugling 

 with these lower gruvt-ls and in a sill below them are tdcphants' 

 tusks and teeth, b'peciuieus of tlie latter, many pounds in weight, 

 and the former truly gigantic in tluir original slatf, but now only a 

 few feet in length, may be seen in t.he Canterbury Museum, and in 

 the still finui- collection at Maidstone. lu these river valleys have 

 also been found remains of the rhinoceros, lion, deer, bison, and 

 other inhabitants of the ])reglacial, postglacial, and perhaps inter- 

 glacial periods. (P.G.S., IbOO, page 197.) Still more interesting 

 than even these is the first evidence of the presence of man, in the 

 rude flint implements that answered the purpose of weapons, 

 knives, and scrapers, with which our Biitish forefathers flayed and 

 scraped the skins by the river side of the animals tliat with flint 

 weapons tiicy had slain. Numbers of the flint flakes are found in 

 the gravel pits near St. Mildred's lieciory, which an experienced eye 

 will detect at once, from those broken by the accidental blows of 

 picks or natural causes, such as the frost. The bump of percussion 

 is as indicative of a sudden blow as the chipped edges arc of design. 

 (See annual report for 1879, page 35.) That the aspect of the 

 hills and valleys is not due to any sudden convulsion of nature, but 

 principally to those operations that We see going on so silently, but 

 constantly around us, is well expressed in a quotation from TV-nuy- 

 son with which Kamsay commences his excellent little book called 

 " The Physical Geography of Great Britain." 



"There rolls the deep where ^vew the tree, 



O earth, what changes hust thou seen ? 



There where the loug sti'eet roars, halh been 



'J'he stillness of the central sea. 



The hills are shadows, and they flow 



From form to form, and nothing stands; 



They melt like mist, the solid lands 



Like clouds they shape themselves and go." 



In drawing these papers to a close, no one is more sensible of their 

 shortcomings than myself. I feel that like a lady's letter the most 

 important partis the postcript, that is the index 1 have piepared to 

 Geological Magazines and works in our own librarj-, ami which I 

 trust may not bo a fruitless labour in the cause of Geological 

 science. 



