Proceedings. ix 



the weald was dense forest land tenanted by wolves, wild boar, 

 and other animals, which gave much trouble to the primitive 

 inhabitants of the locality. A main track-way led along the 

 ridge of hills, its exposed position being selected in order to 

 secure travellers against surprise by robbers or wild beasts. 

 Along the valley ran the little river Mole or Y-melyn. _ On 

 Walton Heath the invading Komans encamped, and at Bletchingly 

 a Eoman villa has been traced ; but traces of them beyond this 

 in the immediate neighbourhood are scarce. At the time of the 

 Saxon invasion, the Weald forest is said to have been 120 miles 

 long, and 30 miles wide, and is often alluded to as an inipene- 

 trable forest, and a place that evidently inspired terror, as it was 

 the resort of robbers and outlaws; the Anglo-Saxon word for 

 robber being " wealdgenge," a farer or dweller in the weald. 

 The Pilgrim's Way, which on the gravel and upper greensand is 

 bordered by yew trees, is bordered by ash to the east of Eeigate ; 

 it may, and probably was, used by pilgrims, but it is more than 

 probable that they merely used a good track whicli was already 

 there, and which dates back to a very much earlier period than 

 that of the pilgrims. 



August 24th (evening geological ramble). A small party of 

 five members assembled at 6 p.m. on the East Croydon railway 

 bridge, and walked thence up Park Hill Eise to the edge of the 

 new railway cutting, where the position of the Oldhaven, Wool- 

 wich, and Reading beds was discussed, and where several blocks 

 of pebbly rocks were still to be seen, and the fossils they yielded 

 were examined. The large chalk-pit at the Coombe Lane end of 

 Park Hill Eoad was next visited, and the junction with the 

 overlying beds traced. The party were indebted to Dr. Franklin 

 Parsons, who was present, for much valuable information on the 

 subject. 



On Sept. 8rd an excursion was made to the Gardens of the 

 Zoological Society, under the direction of Mr. Crowley. The 

 day was very fine, and nine members put in an appearance. The 

 diving birds were visited, and were fed to illustrate their mode of 

 taking their prey under water. The reptile house was next 

 visited, and after that an inspection was made of the elephant 

 and hippopotamus house, where was seen the young hippopota- 

 mus born in the Antwerp Gardens. In the parrot house, the 

 curious ka-ka, or flesh-eating parrot, attracted much attention. 

 In the insect house the tarantula spiders were excited from their 

 hiding-place by the keeper, and gave much interest. These 

 large spiders were stated to be fed on cockroaches and young 

 mice. The scorpion too was induced to show itself, and in an 

 adjoining case was seen a large living bulimus from Trinidad. 

 A land crab was also seen, which strongly resembled its rnariue 

 relatives, even in the readiness with which it parted with its 



