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bottom of a hole, now appearing in the sky-line on the outer edge. 

 Something was evidently to he seen here — an ancient British 

 village could it he 1 possibly — the Doctor thought. Excavations 

 for ore or stone made by the ancient folks ; possibly too, thought 

 others. It might he both one and the other, thought a third. A 

 long green lane stretching away as straight as an arrow Avas now 

 followed, on either hand an old Avail rich in ferns — the rare 

 Cijstopteris fragilis, Ceterach officinalis, Oj)heogIossum vulgatum, 

 Alchemilla vulgaris, Orchis maculata, Pedicularis ( louseAVort), Adoxa 

 moschatellina, Carex nanus — were found by the botanists. Before 

 reaching the end of this lane a traverse was made across walls and 

 hedges for the head of the ravine leading down to the rocks. 

 Some drivings for iron ore had here turned out a rich mass of 

 Hematite from the fissures of the Mountain Limestone. Through 

 a Avood, down a gully thickly strewn Avith masses of fallen lime- 

 stone rendering locomotion rather difficult, through another copse 

 and the narrow and tortuous fissure leading doAvn into the bottom, 

 and the ravine Avas reached. Threading this in single file, what 

 remained of the mutilated body (noAV reduced from 22 members to 

 12, the others haAdng sought an early return to Bath) rested 

 awhile on one of the numerous screes which abound on all sides 

 and greatly admired the mixture of rock, wood and sunshine 

 before them. Having reached the bottom of the ravine they 

 turned to the right hand, foIloAved a stream up to its source, 

 passed a circle of stones supposed by Dr. Bird to be the foundation 

 of the hut of an ancient Briton (if so he must have had a lovely 

 view before him and Avell selected his site), and finally reached one 

 of the objects of the day's excursion in the trial shaft . for coal, 

 made some years ago. The Secretary here once more had some- 

 thing to say about the geology of the district. He ventured to 

 differ from those authorities who had stated that the Sandstone 

 before them brought up from the trial-shaft Avas Old Red, and felt 

 almost certain that it Avas either Coal Measure Sandstone or Mill- 

 stone Grit, probably the latter. However he would possibly have 



