492 



THE GEOLOGIST. 



from a lower position. By this means a determination may be arrived at whether 

 there be one, two, or more distinctly marked stages in the history of the life and 

 death of these great creatures. — J. Morris. 



Malyeun Natural History Field Club. — The last field day for the season of the 

 Natural History Field Club was held in the Eldersfield district, the club meeting at 

 Pendock, where they commenced their investigations with the examination of the 

 church, the site of the Abbey that once stood near, and the old road which trends 

 from Gloucester by Eldersfield, Pendock, the Longdon marshes, and Welland, to 

 Worcester. The next point was the " blasted elm," a lightning-struck tree which 

 rears its shivered limbs high over the farm-house occupied by Mr. Shipton, of the 

 Hill, in the parish of Eldersfield ; and thence the ramblers walked leisurely to the 

 admirably restored church, a few years since a monument of God-forgetfulness, 

 but now an evidence of the better spirit that has arisen in our land. After 

 partaking of the hospitality of the vicar (the Rev. R. Holmes), the club visited 

 the ancient camp of Gadbury, and discoursed on the British and Roman warriors 

 who successively occupied that area, as well as on the denuded vales of the Lower 

 marls and the steep anticlinals and synclinals of the Keuper Sandstone. The 

 summit of Gadbury is a perfect plain, capped by Northern Drift — an evidence of 

 the rapid currents which set in during the glacial epoch in this part of Worcester- 

 shire, and scouped out the deep valleys of the Lower Keuper Marls, From 

 Gadbury camp the party crossed the Pendock Portway, one of the lines of ancient 

 Roman roads which ran from the camp of Wall-hills, near Ledbury, to the farm of 

 Mr. W. Fisher, in the parish of Pendock. Here they examined the Spanish and 

 Portuguese gold coins found two years ago in a field hard by, and with them a 

 number of silver pieces of the reigns of bluff King Hal and of good Queen Bess. 

 Berrow-hill was then crossed, and the Lower Lias outlier examined. The restora- 

 tion of Berrow church called forth universal acknow^ledgment of the good work 

 done by Mr. Law and his parishioners. In the churchyard the party lingered 

 over the tomb of the victims at " The Murder House," and afterwards passed the 

 cottage where the fearful massacre was perpetrated. A substantial repast 

 awaited them at the Duke of York, where the room was adorned with evergreens, 

 in frames of which were hung twelve splendid pictorial illustrations of Irish 

 geology, the property of Dr. Melville, Swiney Lecturer on Geology, and Professor 

 of Natural History at Queen's College, Galway. After dinner. Dr. Melville 

 delivered an eloquent address on the subject of the diagrams, which was followed 

 by the President on the geology of the day's ramble. The day had been one of 

 unchequered sunshine, and the party separated right sorry that their peregrina- 

 tions had come to a clo3e, and mutually wishing that next season they might 

 meet again under auspices as bright and fair. Reynolds Peyton, Esq., of Barton 

 Court, and the Rev. R. Pilson, of Birts-morton, were elected members, and the 

 Rev. C. Clarke was proposed for the next ballot. Among the gentlemen who 

 assembled were the President (Rev. W. S. Symonds), T. M. Lingwood, Esq., 

 Lyston, Herefordshire, E. G. Stone, Esq., Dr. Melville, C. Gully, Esq., T. Sewell, 

 Esq., and the Revds. Canon Davies, R. Holmes, R. Hill, R. Pilson, H. Stone, and 

 C. Clarke. 



