Palceolithic Deposits at HitcMn. 231 



of tlie Hiz and Purwell, for five different borings were abandoned 

 at about that level, without having reached Chalk. The trend of 

 the buried channel seems to be from south to north, in this 

 following the general slope of the ground and running parallel 

 to the course of the existing streams. 



The relation of the Boulder-clay to the alluvial deposits having 

 been settled, attention was devoted to an attempt to penetrate to the 

 bottom of the valley in its deepest part. A trial-pit was sunk in 

 Eansom's old brickyard, within a few yards of the spot where a pit 

 had been sunk by Messrs. Prestwich and Evans about 1879. In 

 this brickyard a large number of implements had been obtained 

 from the irregular gravelly base of the brickearth, where it rests ' 

 on the older alluvial deposits. The newer brickearth, here about 

 24 feet thick, had been already entirely I'emoved at the spot where 

 the trial-pit was sunk. After sinking 14 feet through brown bedded 

 carbonaceous loam, full of badly preserved shells and plant-remains, 

 boring tools were used, and a further depth of 17^ feet of alluvial 

 loam was penetrated before the gravelly sand below was reached. 

 At the base of the alluvium was found a foot or so of hard black 

 loam with fresh- water shells and fragments of Jurassic fossils derived 

 from the Boulder-clay. 



In working out the material afterwards, it became evident that 

 from top to bottom the alluvial deposits below the Palceolithic brick- 

 earth belonged to one series, the same plants occurring throughout. 

 Hence there were only two deposits to deal with — a stony brick- 

 earth yielding little or nothing but Paleeolithlc implements, and 

 a series of ancient alluvial deposits below, full of plants and shells, 

 but, as far as known, without trace of man. The mammalian 

 remains were all said to come from the whitish marly silt which 

 occurs locally immediately below the Palaeolithic brickearth. They 

 are mostly in Mr. W. Ransom's collection, and were determined by 

 Mr. Sanford. The remainder of the animals and plants, with the 

 exception of two species of mollusca, were obtained in the trial-pit 

 just described. For the determination of the fishes, the author was 

 indebted to Mr. E. T. Newton, and for the mosses to Mr. W. Mitten ; 

 the mollusca and flowering plants were identified by Mr. Eeid 

 himself. 



Mammals. — Ursus ; Eqnus cabaUus, Linn.; Rhinoceros; Jlippo- 

 potamus (a waterworn bone) ; Cervas elaphus, Linn. ; Elephas primi- 

 genius, Blumb. 



Fishes. — Perca fluviatiUs, Linn. ; Esox lucius, Linn. ; Leuciscus 

 rutilus, Linn. ; Leuciscus erythrophthalmus, Linn. ; Tinea vulgaris, Cuv. 



Insects. — Elytra of several genera of beetles, badly preserved ; 

 Galls. 



Mollusca. — Helix pulchella, Miiller ; Clausilia biplicata, Mont.; 

 Carychiam minimum, Miiller; Planorbis albus, Miiller; Planorbis 

 carinatus, Miiller (recorded by Mr. E. T. Newton) ; Planorbis com- 

 p)lanatus, Linn. ; Planorbis nautileus, Linn.; Planorbis nitidus, Miiller ; 

 Planorbis spirorbis, Miiller (found by Mr. A. S. Kennard) ; Limncsa 

 auricularia, Linn. ; Limncea peregra, Miiller; LimncBa stagnalis, Linn. ; 



