ALLUVIUM AND PEAT. 233 



Little Atheriield bordered by a narrow alluvial flat, which how- 

 e-ver in the area underlain by clay (the Atherneld Clay and 

 Wealden Beds) widens out, and becomes indefinitely bounded. 



The chine commences at Combtonfield as a small notch, hut 

 slants down towards the sea so as to gain a depth of about 90 feet 

 at the sea-clifF. The chine being cut along the middle of the 

 alluvial flat, gives a section along both its banks of the alluvial 

 deposits, which have thus come to occupy the curious position ot 

 being 90 feet above the stream which formed them. 



The mouth of the chine up to the year 1810, when the old 

 edition of the Ordnance Map was published, was situated 350 

 yards further north than its present position. Before Fitton 

 visited the spot a change had taken place which he thus describes. 

 The streamlet " was very tortuous near the shore, and formerly 

 came close to the edge of the cliflf' near its present outlet, but 

 made its way to the beach at Cowleaze ; till the soft and 

 narrow barrier at top having been cut through, the water soon 

 deepened the chasm, and formed a new chine, leaving its previous 

 bed, with Cowleaze Chine itself, deserted and dry."* 



The change is reported to have been hastened at the last by a 

 shepherd having dug through the narrow barrier of shale, whence 

 the name of Shepherd's Chine for the new mouth. The old 

 ravine of the stream remains much as it was, except tliat the sides 

 are overgrown. It runs near, and roughly parallel to the sea- 

 cliff, and is separated from it by a long and narrow but flat- 

 topped ridge, capped with two small outliers of Alluvium ; a 

 remarkable position in which to find remains of such a deposit. 

 The stream has greatly deepened the new chine since it gained 

 an exit by the shorter route, — a result which followed naturally 

 from the temporary steepening of the gradient, and the consequent 

 temporary increase in the rate of erosion. The case is precisely 

 analogous to those of Brook Chine and Shippard's Chine described 

 on p. 230, 



The following sections in the Alluvium were noted : — 



On the south side of Shepherd^ s Chine. 



Feet. 

 Loani .------. 2-5 



Gravel and sand .--.-. 2-6 



On the north side of Shepherd's Chine, near Chine. 



Ft. In. 



Sandy loam - - - - . - -20 



Flint gravel - - - - - - -26 



Grey loam and grit, with many small fragments of stems and 



nut-shells - - - - - - .16 



Flint gravel, with many fragments of Wealden Shales, and 



with fragments of v/ood - - - - -40 



10 



' On the Strata below the Chalk. Trans. Geol. Soc, Ser. 2, vol. iv. p. 197. 

 1836 Cread 1827). 



