798 REPORT—1904. 
found to be often due to our present ignorance of what is important and what is 
not. Finally, it was pointed out that the most certain way to obtain information 
in what may be described as the higher branch of ecolocy, 7.e., the detailed investi- 
gation of the functional relations of plant-associations to their surroundings, is the 
establishment of experimental stations in regions characterised by definite and 
specialised floras. 
2. Botanical Survey of Britain.’ By W.G. Suiru, B.Se., Ph.D. 
Knowledge of the ecological aspect of the British flora is imperfect when 
compared with recent progress in ecology; a general survey of the chief plant- 
associations of Britain has so far revealed some broad principles of distribution in 
relation to soil and climate. When wider areas are investigated the chief plant- 
associations will be known, and their occurrence as climatic, edaphic, or biological 
formations may be defined, 
3. Observations on the Biology and Distribution of Woodland Plants. 
By T. W. Woopneap. 
4. Interglacial and Postglacial Beds of the Cross Fell District, 
By Francis J. Lewis, £.L.S. 
In the older peat deposits at different altitudes in Great Britain we have 
vegetable remains dating back to the glacial period, and much of the bottom 
layers of the low level peat mosses belong to the period of local ice sheets in 
Scotland. The glacial clay itself is in some cases traversed by peat beds of 
varying thickness, and the plant remains are of considerable interest as throwing 
light upon the duration and climatic conditions of the several glacial and inter- 
glacial periods. The plant remains of the postglacial peat also show that con- 
siderable fluctuations have taken place in climate since the close of the glacial 
period. So far little has been done in the way of systematically working out the 
plant remains in the peat mosses of Scotland and the peat beds which in some 
districts traverse the glacial clay. An examination by means of borings and 
sections is now being made of the larger peat mosses by the author of this paper 
with the aid of a Government grant from the Royal Society. 
The present note deals with some remains in the peat of the Cross Fell district 
in Cumberland which have been found in the course of a botanical survey of that 
district.” 
The sections described below are situated on the eastern slopes of Cross Fell 
at an altitude of 2,350 feet, near Slate Sike. The total thickness of the peat at 
this place is about 12 feet, resting upon 43 feet of glacial clay. 
The beds are described, starting from the base of the glacial clay upwards. 
The base of the clay is composed of a mass of broken shale and sandstone 
mixed with stiff grey clay and merges above into very stiff blue clay containing 
only a few stones, most of which are fragments of shale. 
The first interglacial peat layer occurs about a foot above the base of the clay, 
and consists of dry brittle peat much compressed and about 3 inches in thickness, 
and very sharply marked off from the clay both above and below. The plant 
remains from this layer have only yielded so far quantities of one or two mosses, 
such as Camptothecium nitens, Hypnum sarmentosum. No remains of Phanero- 
gams have so far been found in this layer. 
In the clay and about a foot above the first bed a second peat layer occurs. 
This second interglacial layer is 3-4 inches in thickness, and consists of the much 
1 Published in the Scottish Geographical Magazine, December 1904. 
* «Geographical Distribution of the Vegetation of the Basins of the Rivers Eden, 
Tees, Tyne, and Wear,’ by Francis J. Lewis, Geographical Journal, March and Sep- 
tember 1904. 
