278 Mr. E. Straker on changes in the Aspect 



90. — Changes in the Aspect of our District during Historic 

 Times. 



By E. Straker. 



(Read December 10th, 1890.) 



The subject of the few notes I have put together for my paper 

 to-night is the " Changes in the Aspect of our District during 

 Historic Times." 



We have heard in this room able and interesting papers on 

 the geological changes that have taken place in our district, but, 

 as a rule, the geologist considers his task complete when he has 

 investigated and demonstrated, as far as he is able, the formation 

 and history of the main geological strata. He traces the various 

 changes that have taken place in geologic time, but when the 

 earth had assumed the same general aspect as we now see, and 

 man had appeared on the scene, he considers his task finished. 

 In fact, it much remmds one of our school histories, which 

 always ended somewhat thus : " 1837, accession of Queen 

 Victoria, whom may God preserve " ; and leave all more modern 

 events unrecorded. 



To my mind this interval between geologic time and the present 

 has a great deal of interest, and, from a biological point of view, 

 great importance. The condition of the surface of the soil, 

 whether it be down, heath, common, or woodland, meadow or 

 arable, whether it be wet or dry, has a very marked influence on 

 its flora, and, as a necessary consequence, on its fauna. 



Any attempt to trace this history must necessarily be almost 

 entirely conjectural ; I must therefore beg your indulgence for my 

 theories, as I find it extremely difficult to trace any definite 

 historical record on these subjects. 



I do not think that the chalk-hills, which form the greater 

 part of the area of our district, were at any time densely wooded, 

 although I have no doubt they were fairly covered with scrub 

 and brushwood, with here and there a stretch of turf. The 

 extreme thinness of the layer of earth on the surface of the 

 chalk is in itself strong evidence of this. On such downs as 

 Eiddlesdown and Farthing Down, which, I have no doubt, 

 remain exactly in their primeval condition, the only tree of any 

 size is the yew, the extremely slow growth of which must 

 require but little annual sustenance. On the clay soils north and 

 south of the chalk we have evidence of the existence until com- 

 paratively recent times of dense forests, consisting mainly of oak. 

 The woods, like those of the weald at this day, were intersected 

 by many watercourses, and interspersed with bogs and swamps. 

 The slight elevation above the sea-level of both these tracts must 



