in the Drift of the Valley of the Avon. 



223 



necessary to enumerate those spots at which flint implements 

 have already been discovered ; but it should be borne in mind that 

 these implements probably exist in the valley wherever gravel and 

 clay of this age occurs, but from various accidental circumstances 

 have not yet been brought to light by the diligent search of the 

 geologist. Even since this was written, Ringwood has by the per- 

 severing industry and zeal of Mr. James Brown of Salisbury, been 

 communicated to me as a fresh locality for flint implements. Com- 

 mencing at the village of Lake 1 where the higher level gravel has 

 afforded several very characteristic implements, they can be traced 

 down the valley in similar deposits at Bemerton, Highfield, Milford 

 Hill, Britford, Ashford and Ringwood, extending in the adjoining 

 gravels at Bournemouth and Hill Head, over an area of about 

 40 miles in length. 



The scattered drift deposits are best classified according to the 

 relative heights at which they stand above the level of the present 

 rivers; it is found that they arrange themselves into three distinct 

 groups, and consequently have belonged to different periods of 

 time. The highest are represented by the gravels of Lake, Bem- 

 erton, Milford Hill, Britford, Ashford, &c. ; the middle period 

 by the large deposit of brick- earth at Fisherton ; and the third 

 by the gravel which is spread evenly over the bottom of the 

 valleys of the Avon, Nadder, and Bourne. 



The gravel of Milford Hill may be taken as a remarkably good 

 representative of the deposits of the higher level age. It is com- 

 posed of the ordinary sub-angular chalk-flints, a rather large per 

 centage of fragments of green sand chert, a few well rolled tertiary 

 pebbles, and some small blocks of saccharoid sandstone, also of tertiary 

 origin. These materials are blended together, with a variable 

 proportion of sand and stiff clay, and are stained pretty uniformly 

 of a dark ferruginous colour. Many of the chalk-flints are of large 

 size, with sharp well-defined angles, and present scarcely any 

 marks of violent rolling or water wearing. Milford Hill is a low 

 chalk spur placed immediately above the point where the Avon 



1 This interesting discovery at Lake was made by Mr. Tiffin, Jun., during 

 the Autumn of last year. 



