164 
YORKSHIRE NATURALISTS AT SKIPWITH. 
The extensive Commons of Skipwith cum Riccall have always held an 
attraction for East Riding naturalists, and their wealth of insect, bird 
and marshland plant life has suffered less from change due to industrial 
development than any area of similar size in East Yorkshire. A meeting 
held at Skipwith on Saturday, 13th May, was well attended by representa- 
tives of all Sections, among which, perhaps, the ornithologists were 
most conspicuous. Thanks to the interested ownership of Mrs. Forbes 
Adams, the competent vigilance of the Head Keeper, Mr. Morris, the 
place is virtually a bird sanctuary, and Mr. Morris’s guidance later in the 
day proved of inestimable value. The botanists and entomologists, 
under the leadership of Mr. R. D’Oyley Good, M.A., and Mr. T. 
Photo by ] Horseshoe Lake, Skipwith Common. [S. H. Smith 
Stainforth, B.A., B.Sc., confirmed the presence of all the plants mentioned 
in the Circular (No. 375), but found insects rather scarce. 
A meeting was held in the evening, at which the President (Mr. J. M. 
Brown, B.Sc.), occupied the chair. Reports were rendered by Messrs. 
H. B. Booth, R. D’O. Good, F. A. Mason, F. E. Milsom, C. F. Procter, 
S. H. Smith, the President, and Mrs. Morehouse. Thanks were accorded 
to the Local Secretary (Mr. C. W. Mason) and to Mrs. Forbes Adams 
for permission to visit her estates, as well as to Messrs. S. H. Smith, 
C. F. Procter, R. D’O. Good, T. Stainforth and Mr. Morris, all of whom 
had given valuable assistance in making the excursion a success. 
Soil Conditions (Dr. J. Grainger) : — The soil over the whole area 
covered by the excursion seemed to be fairly uniform. It was very 
sandy and yet well supplied with organic matter, even where it was not 
definitely peat. Samples were taken down to a depth of 2 ft. All were 
uniformly acid (orange with B.D.H. Soil Indicator) and gave a red 
colour with potassium thiocyanate reagent, showing the presence of iron. 
The water which collected in pools was acid (reddish orange with soil 
indicator), and this fact probably accounted for the relative absence of 
aquatic vegetation in many ponds and ditches. The typical ochraceous- 
The Naturalist 
