lxviii 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 
pits on Townsend Farm, between Osterbills and Bernard’s Heath, 
the President and Dr. Morison acting as Directors. 
In the gravel there are large blocks of the Hertfordshire Con¬ 
glomerate, which appear in some places to be in situ , reposing on 
undisturbed beds of the Reading Series. This point was discussed 
on the spot, but no definite conclusion was arrived at. The age of 
the gravel here is also doubtful, for, although it contains quartz- 
pebbles and a few slightly-worn fragments of derived rocks, they 
are not sufficiently numerous to make it certain that it is a glacial 
gravel, and no derived (or other) fossils have been detected in it. 
The St. Albans outlier of the Reading Beds appears to end here 
abruptly, for in different parts of the pits these beds occur at the 
same level as thick beds of gravel. 
Bernard’s Heath was crossed to the brickfields, where sections of 
the Reading Beds are more fully exposed, but there was not time 
for a close inspection of these sections. 
The members and their friends were then received and enter¬ 
tained at tea by the President and Mrs. Hopkinson, at their 
residence, The Grange. 
Field Meeting, 17th October, 1891. 
BPICKET WOOD. 
This, being the last field meeting in the year, was as usual the 
annual Fungus Foray. The members assembled at Bricket Wood 
Station and strolled through the wood to the Watford and St. 
Albans Road, some returning through the wood, some walking to 
Watford, and others to St. Albans. The meeting was under the 
direction of the President. 
Owing to the very wet weather, and the absence of early frosts, 
this was an exceptionally good season for fungi, and upwards of 
150 species were met with—a larger number than has ever before 
been found at any Fungus Foray of the Society. It was remarked, 
however, that several of the usually common species were absent, 
their place being taken by forms which in most years are but 
rarely seen. As this was also the case in the previous year, when 
fungi, owing to the very dry weather, were unusually scarce, it 
seems to show that different species are differently affected by the 
weather, some of the commoner species not springing up in very 
dry weather and some not growing in very wet weather, while 
both extremes bring out certain forms which are probably rare 
because they seldom grow in normal seasons. 
The species were identified by Mr. George Massee, of Kew, who 
pointed out the edible forms, stating that they were considered 
edible chiefly on account of their flavour, several being much 
superior in flavour to the common mushroom (.Agwricus campestris ), 
but that all, or nearly all, might be eaten with impunity if mixed 
up together, well cooked in order to volatise any poisonous matter 
they may contain, and served up with vinegar, which would 
neutralise their alkaline properties. 
