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Peacock : Naturalists at Newark. 



drove on to the woodland and moor, and worked the Notting- 

 hamshire and Lincolnshire portions in turn. The various sections 

 of entomologists and botanists had a very busy and interesting- 

 afternoon amongst the insects and plants. Returning to the 

 Robin Hood Hotel at 5.30 p.m., the party sat down to an excel- 

 lent tea, after which an informal meeting was held, under the 

 presidency of the Rev. William Fowler (President of the Lincoln- 

 shire Society), when accounts of the work done were given by 

 the leading specialists. 



The President said they had had a very enjoyable day. The 

 botanists had been in - rather low water, but they were not 

 selfish, and were very glad to hear that the entomologists had 

 had a good time, and had made several captures. They were 

 very pleased to have been joined by the Nottinghamshire Society. 

 They had met on the borders of the two counties, and it was 

 a very great advantage for them to have assembled together in 

 this way. He thought in future there should be many more 

 meetings in common, for when naturalists met together, from 

 whatever quarter, they were sure to do one another good and to 

 encourag-e each other. They would be glad now to hear what 

 had been done during the afternoon. 



Mr. F. M. Burton, F.G.S., then- made some interesting 

 observations on the gravel beds on which the Stapleford Woods 

 are situated, and referred to the ancient Trent when it flowed 

 through the gorge at Lincoln. He said when he spoke about 

 the Lincoln Gap he felt an apology was due from him, for 

 he had, when he was President of their Lincolnshire Union, 

 introduced the subject to their notice. He had not the slightest 

 doubt that that Great Lincolnshire Gap w 7 as formed originally by 

 the Trent flowing through it. The Trent, and possibly other 

 rivers, were the cause of the excavations. When that gap was 

 being excavated the whole of the land between the cliffs and the 

 opposite hills of Nottinghamshire, and beyond into Derbyshire, 

 was all high land — much higher than it was now. Water could 

 not, of course, run up hill, but it began to cut slowly through 

 the cliff until it was hollowed out. The soft clays on the west 

 side were all worn through, and the Trent flowed steadily on 

 until at last it cut the gap still lower and lower almost to the 

 level of the plain. There had been, meanwhile, another great 

 river at work — the Humber. The Humber was dominant at 

 that time, and it was the dominant river now. It came cutting 

 through the softer strata until it tapped the Trent. The Trent 

 was drawm off and turned round, and instead of going through 



Naturalist, 



