43 



River Darenth rises, its source, according to popular tradition, being 

 the pond by the roadside at Westerham, but as sundry small 

 " tricklets " empty themselves into this pond, and one of them 

 appears to be the overflow from the Wealden Spring in Limpsfield 

 Chart, I think it may be possible to trace the origin of the river 

 back to that spot. From Westerham the Darenth flows along the 

 valley by Brasted and Riverhead to Otford, being joined en route by 

 numerous small tributaries, among them one having its source in 

 some grounds between Kemsing and Seal Chart, and passing through 

 the Downs flows thence by way of Eynsford to Dartford, where it 

 empties itself into the Thames. It appeared to me that the hills 

 drained by the upper part of this little River Darenth formed a 

 remarkably compact district for field work, especially as there is still 

 a good deal of unenclosed country upon them. 



The five meetings already held have, I think, been sufficient to 

 give a good general idea of the district indicated. Two of them, 

 viz. those at Otford in 1902 and Eynsford in 1904, dealt with the 

 Downs side of it, and although perhaps not wholly satisfactory 

 localities from a collector's point of view on account of the close 

 cultivation of the land, the opportunities for work being thus confined 

 chiefly to hedgerows, the neighbourhood is one well worthy of 

 investigation ; there is little traffic over it, the hedgerows are old and 

 not too well trimmed, and there still remain numerous small patches 

 of woods and uncultivated fields. As is usually the case on parts of 

 the Downs where shelter is obtainable, there is no lack of insect life, 

 and where insects are abundant there is always the chance of turning 

 up something interesting. 



But it is to the sandy hills on the opposite side of the valley, on 

 which the meetings at Brasted Chart in 1901, Limpsfield Chart in 

 1903, and Seal Chart in 1905 were held, that I wish more particularly 

 to call attention. 



The Charts. 



Starting from the western end of the range at Limpsfield Chart 

 (or as it is marked on the maps, the High Chart), one may pass by 

 way of Crockham Hill Common, Hosey Common, Brasted Chart, 

 and Toy's Hill, across the valley by the village of Ide Hill to Whitley 

 Shrubs or Goathurst Common, passing to the south of Sevenoaks, 

 through Knowle Park and continuing by Fawke Common, Godden 

 Green, and Seal Chart to Crown Point or even on to Ightham, a 

 walk of some twelve miles at the least, through an almost continuous 

 run of ancient forest and heath lands, a broad upland, with for the 

 greater part of the distance the valley of the Darenth on the left 

 hand, and the Weald stretching away for many miles on the right, 

 admitting of some of the finest views in the county. It is needless 

 to say that in such a country opportunities for collecting are nume- 

 rous. Old forest tracts are not always the most prolific in insect 



