ad 
CORRESPONDING SOCIETIES 477 
rural Downe belongs, it must be acknowledged that they are doing their 
best within their powers to guide that development away from the grosser 
excesses. Within this district, and as yet unspoiled, are certain features of 
scientific interest. ‘There are two very beautiful examples of the dry valleys 
characteristic of the North Downs—that of Cudham, and that in which 
the Downe Golf Course is situated. Also, some fine areas of woodland, 
characteristic features where a capping of clay-with-flints rests on chalk, 
are still existent ; and there are examples of enlightened tree planting, as 
notably on the estate of the late Lord Avebury (High Elms), whose name, next 
to Darwin’s, will always be held in reverence by us in memory of the close 
bonds which science forged between those two great men. We have recently 
been favoured with a full account (which is available for perusal by any who 
are interested) of the trees on the estate, and are thus able to appreciate the 
care and forethought with which the area was planted. We can see how 
exotic species, gathered from many lands, may grow in perfect harmony 
with their indigenous neighbours—giant sequoias and Himalayan cedars 
forming a picturesque contrast to the beeches characteristic of this chalk 
area and the magnificent elms after which the estate has been named 
When the Town and Country Planning Act is applied in detail in this 
area—as soon it must be—shall we be justified in bringing forward these 
arguments in the name of science if (of course, only if) the planning pro- 
posed should threaten ultimately to obscure these scientific interests ? Or 
should we be suspect of carrying scientific interest too far? Should we 
lay ourselves open to the retort that such argument cannot be allowed to 
prescribe that a valley shall not in future carry a road and a few hundreds 
of houses, that a few more trees shall not be cut down? Such an answer 
might very well be justified on administrative grounds alone, and then if 
any such features are to be preserved, it becomes a matter for individual 
effort—the town-planning authority alone, or the landowner alone, cannot 
reasonably be expected to say that a valley or a few trees ought to be pro- 
tected simply because they are good examples of their kind. But if it were 
a choice between planning such a valley or woodland tract as a good resi- 
dential area or as an industrial district, then I see no reason why we should 
not endeavour to make the scientific interest known. 
This, however, would necessitate a highly detailed survey of the whole 
country, for if the little area of Downe in Kent contains such features of 
scientific interest as I have indicated, then any other little area in England 
and Wales may, and most areas will, also contain some such features. 
I dare not demand that science should undertake so huge a task ; on the other 
hand, I would urge all who appreciate the idea of using scientific con- 
siderations as adjuncts to zsthetic arguments for the preservation of the 
countryside, to keep a constant watch on the work of planning, and to make 
known to the local scientific society and the British Association any areas or 
sites which are the subject of their watchfulness and ought to be of ours. 
In further illustration, I will refer briefly to a few of the many sites of 
scientific interest in the area in which we are meeting. Among the numerous 
claims to distinction possessed by East Anglia are a number of scenic types 
not exemplified elsewhere in Britain. I need only call to mind the shingle- 
spits of Blakeney and Orford, the heaths immortalised by George Borrow, 
the world-famous Cromer Moraine, the historically-rich Breckland and the 
popular Norfolk Broads. But the British Correlating Committee for the 
Protection of Nature submitted, in evidence before the National Park 
Committee in 1929, a more comprehensive list of areas where nature 
reserves are most required. In addition to some of those I have mentioned 
as characterised by their own peculiar scenic qualities, the Correlating 
