I 



Yorkshire 'Naturalists at Market Wetghton. 265 



gravel stream that intersects Market Weighton Common and finally fills 

 the Canal, but vegetation was lush and varied, and intensely interesting. 

 So also proved the investigation of the wild denizens of a blossoming 

 pea field through which lay our pathway. 



If the list of species formerly recorded by Mr. J. J. Marshall was 

 scarcely verified, that must be put down to the limited circuit made, and 

 to the high state of cultivation of the land. But it was a delightful and 

 profitable ramble for all that. 



Mosses and Hepatics. — Mr. C. A. Cheetham writes : — Mr. J. J. 

 Marshall's work at the mosses of this district was rewarded by many 

 interesting species, but without his leadership it was unlikely that all 

 could be seen, a previous excursion with him had, however, given an in- 

 sight and a good list results. 



The most interesting ground was in the woodland. Amongst the 

 heather were two species of fork-mosses, Dicranum spuriiim Hed. and 

 D. undnlatum Ehr., the latter being known nowhere else in the county ; 

 the most frequent mosses were Dicranum scoparium Hed., Hypmim 

 Schreberi Willd. and H. parieiinum Lindb. in the heathery places, Hyloco- 

 mium squarrosum Br. Sch. amongst grass, and Dicranella heteronialla Schp. 

 and Webera nutans Hed. [Pohlia nutans Lindb.) on the sides of ditches ; 

 with these latter were two hepatics, Alicularia scalaris Corda. and CephU' 

 lozia bicuspidata Dum. A more uncommon hepatic, Ptlidium ciliare 

 Hampe, was growing with the fork-mosses. Aulacomnium androgynum 

 Schw. {Orthopyxis androgyna P. Beauv.) was seen on old tree stumps, and 

 Webera carnea Schimp. {Pohlia carnea Lindb.) on the sides of the stream. 

 A walk up the railway bank by Goodmanham gave some poor but recog- 

 nisable gatherings of the two seligerias, S. calcarea B. and S. and S. paiici- 

 folia Carr., which grow on the blocks of chalk used in constructing the line. 



Geology. — Mr. T. Sheppard reports that the geologists first visited 

 the well-known section near the rifle-butts on the railway-line side, in the 

 Goodmanham valley, where the feather-edges of various beds rest against 

 the Market Weighton articline, so well described years ago by John 

 Phillips. In the target-pits traces of the Lower Lias beds could be de- 

 tected. A few feet above was the Red Chalk, yielding Terebratula biplicata 

 and Belemnites minimus. The beds here also contained a quantity of 

 very ferruginous nodules, reminding one of the Carstone of Lincolnshire. 

 There was also a good section in the Lower or Grey Chalk. The 

 party then crossed over the Wolds, where many excellent views of 

 dry chalk-valley formation were seen, and on the hill near Goodmanham 

 Church were the large earthen mounds said by some authorities to 

 represent the site of the heathen temple where the idols of wood were 

 profaned, as described in Bede's ' Ecclesiastical History.' A visit was 

 next paid to a farm house where was said to have been an ancient temple, 

 but all the party could discover was a carved head from some fourteenth 

 century church, built into a wall, and the occupant knew no more of a 

 ' temple ' than the visitors found. A visit was then paid to a small 

 circular depression at Hessleskew, now almost hidden by trees, which for 

 generations of ' historians ' and writers has been described as a ' Roman 

 amphitheatre.' A careful examination, aided by numerous rabbit 

 burrows, showed that there was no justification for the ' Roman amphi- 

 theatre ' theory^in fact the depression was far too small and in all pro- 

 bability is one of the numerous circular pits sunk in various parts of the 

 Wolds for the purpose of obtaining chalk. The hill-top on the opposite 

 side of the road was then examined in order to investigate a ' Roman 

 camp.' From this field — almost bare as a result of the ravages of the 

 turnip-fly (though the farmer had wisely sown turnips and mangolds 

 together, and as the fly doesn't eat the latter he still had a crop) — large 

 quantities of stone, some ' worked,' had been removed. The party v/as 

 told of a large square ' Roman camp ' on the hill-top — certainly a good 

 site — and this was carefully examined under favourable conditions. 



1918 Aug. 1. 



