117 



old idea that these ponds are replenished by dew is 

 erroneous ; ' heavy mists and rain are the only agencies 

 adding to their contents. 



For the afternoon two excursions had been arranged — one, 

 of a geological character, to the Puttenham sand-caves, the 

 other, botanical, to the region of the Cutmill ponds. A 

 large party started in brakes and motor-cars, but when 

 ascending the Hog's Back we were treated to a cloud-burst 

 and a violent thunderstorm, which drenched the lightly 

 clad, and caused a portion of the party to return to 

 Guildford. The hardier spirits pushed on to Puttenham 

 Heath. The Cutmill district was impossible, but under 

 brighter skies we had a pleasant ramble on the heath, which 

 .was investigated botanically. 



In the evening we had an address from our President, 

 Prof. E. A. Gardner, who dealt with some aspects of 

 " Evolution in Art,'' but as I was unable to hear a single 

 connected sentence I should be unable to vouch for the fact 

 but for a later perusal of the lecture in print. 



On Friday morning the Council met at ten, and your 

 delegates, being free for an hour, devoted it to an examina- 

 tion of the Congress Museum, which, as usual, was filled with 

 interesting exhibits in many branches of Nature and Art. 

 At eleven we were treated to a paper by Mr. J.G. N. Clift, the 

 Hon. Secretary of the British Archgeological Association, on 

 *' The Pilgrims' Way between Farnham and Albury " — 

 another subject of great local interest, but which was greatly 

 marred by the speaker's trick of dropping his voice almost 

 to a whisper for the second half of every sentence, so that 

 the conclusion had mostly to be guessed from the context. 

 In this district there are two claimants to the title of Pilgrims' 

 Way — that along the ridge of the Hog's Back, and another 

 that follows the lower sand ridge south of the chalk and 

 touches a series of villages on its way. The claims of each 

 were set forth, but the lecturer would not commit himself to 

 a casting vote. A most interesting discussion followed, 

 regrettably terminated by the exigencies of the time-table, 

 but sufficient was said to make holes in the theories of 

 Grant Allen and Hilaire Belloc on the supposed " tin road." 

 This was followed by an address by Dr. Wm. Martin, who 

 dealt with the " Interpretation of the Maps of the Sixteenth 

 and Seventeenth Centuries." 



The afternoon was a crowded and enjoyable one, the 

 weather was more propitious, and a lengthy procession set 

 out for Loseley Manor, where 130 of us gathered in the fine 



