Grid Ref Research Articles

New record of the trimerellid brachiopod Gasconsia, a rare Silurian lazarus taxon

Gasconsia Northrop, 1939, is a rare trimerellid that appears in the Upper Ordovician (Ashgill) and then reappears in the Upper Silurian (Wenlock/Ludlow) (Hanken and Harper, 1985; Popov and Holmer, 2000). This note is the first documented report of Gasconsia from the type Ludlow of the Welsh Borderland. Gasconsia transversus (Salter) occurs in the Lower Bringewood beds (upper part of Gorstian stage) in a small quarry on the north side of the Holloway to Upper Millichope road, directly opposite the entrance to Millichope Park (grid ref. SO 52748911). The material consists of internal and external molds of one brachial valve and one articulated individual (Fig. 1). This species was described as Obolus Davidsoni var. transversus [Salter MS] by Davidson (1866) from the Wenlock (Homerian stage) of the Dudley and Woolhope areas of the English Midlands and Welsh Borderland. Davidson and King (1874) subsequently referred to it as Dinobolus transversus (Salter), and Cocks (1978), in selecting a lectotype of transversus, retained its assignment to Dinobolus. However, illustrations of transversus in Davidson (1866, pl. 5, figs. 1-6) and Davidson and King (1874, pl. 18, fig. 12) clearly show that it belongs in Gasconsia rather than Dinobolus.

NEW RECORD OF THE TRIMERELLID BRACHIOPOD GASCONSIA, A RARE SILURIAN LAZARUS TAXON

Gasconsia Northrop, 1939, is a rare trimerellid that appears in the Upper Ordovician (Ashgill) and then reappears in the Upper Silurian (Wenlock/Ludlow) (Hanken and Harper, 1985; Popov and Holmer, 2000). This note is the first documented report of Gasconsia from the type Ludlow of the Welsh Borderland. Gasconsia transversus (Salter) occurs in the Lower Bringewood beds (upper part of Gorstian stage) in a small quarry on the north side of the Holloway to Upper Millichope road, directly opposite the entrance to Millichope Park (grid ref. SO 52748911). The material consists of internal and external molds of one brachial valve and one articulated individual (Fig. 1). This species was described as Obolus Davidsoni var. transversus [Salter MS] by Davidson (1866) from the Wenlock (Homerian stage) of the Dudley and Woolhope areas of the English Midlands …

A Tudor Parcel-Gilt Livery Badge from Chelsham, Surrey

In late 1996 a heraldic parcel-gilt badge (fig 1) was found during a metal detecting rally by Mr Martin Hay of Horley, Surrey, in a field just to the north of Chelsham Court Farm, near Chelsham, Surrey (National Grid Ref: TQ 388 586). The badge was subsequently brought by Mr David Williams of Reigate, Surrey, to the Department of Medieval and Later Antiquities at the British Museum for identification. It was established that the find had been made on land belonging to Earl Compton of Castle Ashby, Northamptonshire. The Chelsham estate was acquired by the Sixth Marquess of Northampton in 1943 and passed on via family Trustees to The Earl Compton in 1994. As this single find was made before the Treasure Act came into force on 24 September 1997, it does not qualify as Treasure under the terms of the new legislation. As a casual loss under the old regulations of Treasure Trove, ownership of the object was claimed by the landowner who has generously agreed to lend it to the British Museum for display purposes.

Fraser's dolphin (Lagenodelphis hosei) stranded in South Uist: first record in U.K. waters

AbstractOn 3 September 1996, B. Neill, investigating the peculiar behaviour of three ravens, found them disputing over a freshly dead dolphin stranded on the shore at Bornish, South Uist, Western Isles, Scotland (National Grid ref: NF 721 300). Neither he nor M. Bones, who collected the skeleton, could immediately identify the dolphin, despite having seen most of the species recorded around the Western Isles, although we suggested that it might be an Atlantic white‐sided dolphin Lagenorhynchus acutus with an aberrant colour pattern.

Art in the Levantine Epi-Palaeolithic: An Engraved Pebble from a Kebaran Site in the Lower Jordan Valley

Non-utilitarian art objects from the early Epi-Paleolithic (I9,000-I4,500 b.p.) of the southern Levant are practically unknown. The discovery of an engraved pebble at the site of Urkan e-Rub IIa is therefore of special interest and significance. The site is located in the Lower Jordan Valley (UTM grid ref. 55067302) on an alluvial terrace of Wadi Ahmar, which flows from the Samaria hills eastward into the Jordan River. In the course of two seasons of fieldwork an area of 2o m2 has been excavated, in addition to three stratigraphic trenches (fig. I). The uppermost cultural horizon consists of early Epi-Palaeolithic (i.e., early Kebaran) material (see Bar-Yosef and Vogel I987 for a description of the industry and spatial characteristics), while a lower unit, possibly of Upper Palaeolithic age, appears in trench i (Hovers and Marder I989). The assemblage uncovered in area A consisted of a large number of lithic waste products, a limited number of flint tools, and a diverse faunal collection (Hovers et al. I988). Shells as raw material and shell beads were found in great quantities (D. Bar-Yosef in Hovers et al. i988:fig. 5). In area B, where only 4 m2 were excavated, the tool kit (fig. 2) was typologically similar to that of area A, consisting of non-geometric microliths (especially variants of micropoints), end-scrapers on blades, flakes, and burins. Both areas were therefore assigned to the early Kebaran. The bones appeared to be more fragmentary and splintered in area B. While it is tempting to see the two areas as activity areas of a single base site (Hovers et al. i988), this hypothesis remains to be tested in the field. A '4C date of I4,440 ? I50 years B.P. (OxA-i5o3), obtained from a charcoal sample from area A, seems too young in the light of the typological characteristics of the assemblage. The engraved pebble was found lying flat in square UI3c, at a depth of I42 cm below datum and about 25 cm below the surface. It is a limestone pebble 92 mm long, 65 mm wide, and only I 3 mm at its maximum thickness, with its edges thinned by intentional polishing. Pebbles of this size are rare in the silt-clay sediment of the site, and when they do appear they are considered to have been imported by man (Hovers et al. i988:25). The pebble is engraved on both faces. One side is deeply incised, without regard for the incrustations on its surface or the impurities in the limestone (fig. 3). Of the eight sets of incisions seen on this face, three are repeated patterns of ladders and lines. Each of these latter three sets has five lines, two comprising the one to the left of it, and two to the right. The width of the and the number of differ from one set to another. Of the 34 rungs of the curved ladder at the top in the illustration, 24 are shorter than the space between the vertical lines, 6 fit that space exactly, and 4 extend beyond its limits. One pair of lines (the 4th and 5th from right) creates an angle, while the row of strokes is terminated with a curved line engraved at a go9 angle in relation to the set as a whole. No particular cycle could be detected in the sequence of strokes. The ladder on the left has only 2i rungs, the 3d and the i8th of which go beyond the vertical borders. The other lines in this set alternate between long strokes and short ones that do not touch the vertical lines. Again, no cycles could be detected. The third ladder has I 7 rungs, of which the upper 4 and the I3th seem to have been made by a different point that produced a double line. The latter also has a different orientation from the rest. This set seems to be the most regular of the three, with most of the short strokes confined within the vertical lines and more or less parallel to one another. However, three of the short strokes extend into the space to the right of the ladder, while three disconnected strokes appear to the right and one to the left of it. The other five groups are composed of parallel lines only. Of these groups one consists of four lines, another of six lines, and the remaining three of five lines each. Three of the corners of the pebble are demarcated by

Pre-Late Devensian coastal rock platforms around Dunbar

Wave–cut rock platforms which predate the last glaciation are increasingly recognised around the coast of Scotland (Walton 1959; Dawson 1980; Sissons 1981; Gray 1985; Browne and McMillan 1984). This paper reports new evidence from the Dunbar area where coastal rock platforms between 0 and 25 m OD are locally overlain by till and so must also predate the Late Devensian glaciation. Coastal rock platforms in the Dunbar area (Fig. 1a and 1b) comprise at least four groups: 1: High Raised Rock Platforms. This group includes platforms which lie at elevations of between 16 and 25 m OD. Typically, these are covered by till and can be traced at intervals from North Berwick to Berwick-on-Tweed. Good examples of High Raised Rock Platforms occur near Tantallon Castle [Nat. Grid Ref. NT 59 85], east of North Berwick, at Cove [NT 78 71], and at Dunbar [NT 66 79], where a crag-and-tail rises from the platform (Sissons 1967) (Fig. 2). 2: Raised Rock Platform. The front edge of this platform lies between 2 and 4 m OD and is found at intervals along much of the coastline between Aberlady and Torness. The Raised Rock Platform reaches widths of at least 250 m and is separated by a small rock cliff or ramp from the Intertidal Rock Platform. The Raised Rock Platform is overlain by littoral deposits of the Main Postglacial Raised Shoreline formed at c. 6,500 BP (Smith 1972; Sissons 1976). 3: Inter-Tidal Rock Platform. A well-developed rock platform exists around present sea . . .

Osmoacclimation in Enteromorpha intestinalis: long-term effects of osmotic stress on organic solute accumulation

The effects of salinity variation on organic solute accumulation have been studied in marine Enteromorpha intestinalis (L.) Link (St. Andrews, Fife, National Grid Ref. NO 514168, and Fife Ness, Fife, National Grid Ref. NO 638098) collected from upper mid-shore rock pools from January to July 1987; and in freshwater E. intestinalis (Forfar Loch, Angus, National Grid Ref. NO 440504) collected during August 1986, in short-term (48 h) and long-term (35 d) experiments. The tertiary sulphonium compound β-dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP) was the principal organic osmolyte in unstressed cells; marine plants contained greater amounts of DMSP than freshwater plants. Exposure to increased salinity resulted in the short-term accumulation of proline and sucrose, while DMSP was unchanged in freshwater and marine plants. In longer-term exposure to salt stress, sucrose levels declined while DMSP increased and proline levels remained high. Long-term incubation in hypersaline media increased the tissue protein and chlorophyll levels of marine E. intestinalis; this may be linked to changes in the cytoplasm:vacuole ratio of the cell. Prolonged exposure to hyposaline and hypersaline conditions led to changes in DMSP content in the manner predicted for an osmotic effector, suggesting that DMSP is involved in long-term osmoacclimation in Enteromorpha spp. The results are also consistent with the proposal that DMSP acts as a compatible cytosolute in Enteromorpha species.

Use of cotton strips to relate fungal community structure to cellulose decomposition rates in the field

Studies on the ecology of soil fungi have traditionally been concerned with the distribution of taxa in the soil, and the influence of the environment on community structure and composition. Relatively little emphasis has been placed on the role of the fungal community and the effects of community composition on decomposition processes, even though it is recognized that the decomposition of natural compounds is a major function of the fungal community. One approach to defining the role of soil fungi in the decomposition process is to take an inventory of the fungi in the soil, evaluate their enzymatic capacity under laboratory conditions and then use these data to make inferences about the role of the community in decomposition of natural substrates, as has been done by Flanagan and Scarborough (1974) and Gochenaur (1984). Using this approach, and comparing soils, Flanagan (198 1) concluded that “it appears that taxonomic differences in fungal communities between ecosystems do not significantly influence the decay rate of plant remains between sites. The biomass of fungi is related to quantity and quality of organic matter, and the decay rate of a given organic matter is controlled primarily by climates”. Although such studies provide useful information, they suffer from the fact that soil fungi are being tested under artificial conditions for their potential for decomposing specific substrates. To interpret the role of fungal community structure on actual decomposition rates, it would be better to examine fungi actually colonizing particular substrates, from the soil, and to monitor simultaneously the amount of decomposition that is taking place. An opportunity to do this arose as part of an ongoing study on the effects of amendments on the decomposition of cotton (cellulose) strips, buried in a Scottish moorland soil. Cotton strips of uniform weave, 1Ocm wide by 30 cm, were prepared (Latter and Howson, 1977) and inserted into an acid (pH 4.345) Scottish moorland soil near Banchory (Grid Ref. No. 637903). The general area of the study has been described in detail by Miles (1973). The top segments of the strips were placed in the old litter/F horizon, the side segments in the variable O/H/Ah horizon, and the bottom segments in the E/Es horizons (nomenclature according to Hodgson, 1974) using the method of French and Howson (1982). On 25 August 1981, five replicate strips were placed randomly in each of three plots that had been amended as follows: (i) N aDDlied as NH.NO, at a rate of 40 am-‘: (ii) P applied as KH;FCJ, at 60 gm-*, (iii) Ca applied& Ca;cb; at 100 g m-*. A further 5 strips were distributed between three plots treated with a 1: 1 mixture of glucose and potato starch: two in a plot treated at 4 g m-*, one in a plot treated at 16gm-* and the remaining two in a plot treated at 40 g m-*. Data from these three plots were combined as a single “carbohydrate” treatment. All amendments had been applied on three occasions during 1979; on 19 September, 15 October and 30 October. Five strips were also inserted in unamended control plots. The strips were removed on 8 December 198 1 and the side segments were cut, frayed and tested for tensile strength (Latter and Howson, 1977). Unburied control strips were simultaneously tested for tensile strength and the percent tensile strength loss for test strips was calculated as follows:

Pottery Production at Muncaster, Eskdale in the Second Century A. D.

In 1884 during the construction of a new road on the south side of Muncaster Fell in Eskdale, West Cumbria (grid ref. SD 131986), a Roman tile-kiln was uncovered and brought to the attention of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society. Since that date a number of chance finds of Roman material have been made and small-scale excavations have been conducted on the site. The most recent work, directed by R. L. Bellhouse from 1957 to 1960 was published in Transactions , together with a summary of the present state of knowledge concerning the site. In his excavations at Ravenglass from 1976 to 1978, Dr T. W. Potter identified a distinctive fabric type in the Roman fort which by its frequency suggested that it may have been produced locally. He also found one vessel in a fabric apparently identical to that described by Miss Fair as having been found in the fort at Ravenglass and at the kiln site itself, and thought by her to have been produced there. Potter published 22 vessels as Muncaster products from Ravenglass and one from Watercrook, as well as suggesting that vessels in an identical fabric and, therefore, presumably from the same source had been found at a number of sites in the area ranging from Watercrook in the south to Beckfoot and Papcastle in the north.

A Note on the Distribution of Metacercariae of Maritrema Arenaria in Balanus Balanoides at a Site on the North-East Coast of England

The survey of Balanus balanoides (L.) for metacercarial cysts of Maritrema arenaria Hadley and Castle, 1940, on the east coast of Northern Ireland by Irwin & Irwin (1980) prompted us to carry out a similar survey in the north-east of England. The site we selected was a rocky shore at Whitburn, Sunderland (Grid Ref. NZ411 613) from which six separate batches of 100 barnacles, B. balanoides, were examined. The results were as in Table 1.

The Abbreviated Larval Development of Caridina Singhalensis Ortmann, 1894 (Decapoda, Atyidae)

The highly abbreviated development of Caridina singhalensis, endemic to Sri Lanka, is described. The peculiar morphological features found in the larvae are compared to those of the two other examples of direct development described in the Atyidae. The marked morphological similarities among the reduced larval phases, independently evolved in C. singhalensis and the Japanese species (C. brevirostris and C. denticulata ishigakiensis), allow the identification of a syndrome associated with direct development in the genus. Caridina singhalensis Ortmann, 1894, is endemic to the highlands of Sri Lanka where its present distribution is restricted to a six mile stretch of the headwaters of the Belihul Oya (6?48'N, 80?48'E). This species lays very large eggs compared to other caridinids and undergoes a direct development. While a number of descriptions of larval development are available for the genus Caridina (Babu, 1963; Benzie, 1982; Chinnaya, 1974; Daday, 1907; Glaister, 1976; Lakshmi, 1975; Nair, 1949; Pillai, 1975; Shen, 1939; Shokita, 1973a, 1976, and 1981), only two examples of direct development have been reported previously-C. brevirostris (Shokita, 1973a) and C. denticulata (Shen, 1939; Mizue and Iwamoto, 1961; Shokita, 1976). (The status of C. denticulata subspecies is not clear and the larval description of Shen (1939) may refer to a species different from those described by the other authors. If the specific difference between these forms is upheld then the number of direct developments described in the Atyidae previous to the present paper would be three. Details are given in the discussion.) The development of C. singhalensis is of interest not only as the third direct development reported for the Atyidae but also because some of the morphological changes associated with extremely abbreviated development have progressed further in this species compared to those described to date. In addition the first stage larva shares a number of peculiar features with C. brevirostris and C. denticulata, although clearly of separate origin, and the description of this form allows the identification of a syndrome associated with direct development in the Atyidae. The present paper describes the larval development of C. singhalensis and discusses these features. Ovigerous females were collected from the Belihul Oya at Black Bridge on Horton Plains (1 inch Haputale Map Sheet M, grid ref. 204179) in February/March 1980 and transported to laboratories in Peradeniya University, Kandy. Each female was placed in a small 10 ml container and checks were made several times daily to establish the presence of larvae. While a number of eggs hatched successfully, none of the larvae moulted to stage II and all died within a few hours of hatching. Mortality was in all probability due to high temperatures in the laboratory. No controlled temperature facilities were available and ambient temperature was approximately 30?C, far in excess of the temperatures of approximately 17-20?C to which the animals are exposed naturally in the highlands. Samples of larvae from field populations at Horton Plains, where C. singhalensis is the only prawn, were therefore obtained and moult stages inferred from size and morphological differences. Individual larvae were preserved in 70% alcohol and later dissected in polyvinyl lactophenol, stained with lignin pink. Drawings were made with the aid of a camera lucida and measurements made using a compound microscope and ocular graticule. Carapace measurements were made from the antero

Radiocarbon dating and stratigraphic resolution in Welsh lateglacial chronology

Much attention has focused recently on the lateglacial period in north-west Europe, especially on the problems of climatic subdivision and chronostratigraphic definition1–3. Correlation and classification of lateglacial stratigraphy relies heavily on radiocarbon dating, but because the lateglacial represents a relatively short interval of geological time (14,000–10,000 yr BP) with comparatively slow rates of sedimentation, the stratigraphic resolution achieved in radiocarbon dating may be questioned—a 5-cm thick sample may represent an age span significantly greater than the analytical uncertainty (± 1σ) associated with the radiocarbon measurement. Results are presented here for a radiocarbon-dated pollen stratigraphy based on sediments from Llyn Gwernan, a small freshwater lake situated on the northern flank of Calder Idris, 3km south-west of Dolgellau, North Wales (grid ref. SH 703 159) where a remarkable thickness of lateglacial organic deposits preserves a detailed biostratigraphic record and permits a greater resolution of the lateglacial 14C time scale than is usual. The data are summarized in Fig. 1 and comparisons are made within the framework of previously published dates for Wales in Fig. 2.

A Note on Parastenocaris Phyllura Kiefer and P. Vicesima Klie (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) in Britain

The Parastenocaridae constitute a family of minute vermiform copepods, principally occurring in subterranean waters, including the subsurface waters of marine beaches. The two species of Parastenocaris referred to in this note were collected in Britain for the first time in 1966, during a survey of the harpacticoid fauna of some beaches on the Isle of Anglesey, North Wales (Geddes, 1972). Numerous females and males of both species were obtained from sand at the source of a spring emerging (at high water mark) on to the beach at Rhosneigr (O.S. Grid Ref. SH 315730).The previously known distribution of these two Parastenocaris species has been summarized by Enckell (1969), whose paper should be consulted for full references and distribution maps. Briefly, P. phyllura Kiefer has been recorded from fresh water in the central and northern parts of middle Europe, and from brackish-water beaches bordering the Baltic and the North Sea coast of continental Europe, while P. vicesima Klie has been recorded from marine and brackish-water beaches around the Baltic and adjacent parts of the North Sea.

British Museum Natural Radiocarbon Measurements X

The following list consists entirely of dates for archaeologic samples from the prehistoric flint mining site of Grime's Graves, Weeting, Thetford, Norfolk, England (52° 30' N, 0° 40' E, Natl Grid Ref TL 816898), measured over the period from August 1973 to December 1977,*all the samples having been excavated between 1972 and 1976. The dates were obtained by liquid scintillation counting of benzene using a Model 3315 Packard Tricarb Liquid Scintillation Spectrometer linked to a Hewlett Packard 2100A computer system for on-line processing of counting data (Hall & Hewson, 1977). The laboratory procedures used were those outlined in the two previous lists (R, 1976, v 18, p 16; 1977, v 19, p 143).

Excavation at Killeaba, Ramsey, Isle of Man

The excavation of this site on the southern outskirts of Ramsey (nat. grid ref. SC452936) was undertaken as a rescue operation when a building estate was to encroach upon the large mound which formed a conspicuous feature in the field. The Manx Museum and National Trust acknowledges the co-operation of the Planning Committee of the Isle of Man Local Government Board in stipulating as a condition of planning approval that opportunity must be given for scientific examination of the site. The excavation (necessarily accommodated with other commitments, and briefly delayed through snow) took place within the period December 1968 to April 1969.Early References to the Site. As well as a strong local tradition that the mound was a burial place, references to the site occur in the local antiquarian literature. The earliest appears to be that in Oswald's Vestigia (1860, 57–58), where he notes the inspection of this site by the Rev. W. Kermode of Ramsey at the time when it was first given over to the plough, c. 1850. Kermode remarked that the ‘mound of considerable dimensions … had on the top the usual kist vaen,—a rude stone grave, consisting of a few upright stones with a large heavy slab resting on the top; within were found some very small pieces of unbaked pottery, with a black substance which was probably charred human bones.’ From the north–south orientation of the cist he surmised that it might have been a Viking grave.

Possible interstadial and interglacial pollen floras from Teindland, Scotland

THIS paper reports new investigations carried out on the Teindland soil profile first described by E. A. FitzPatrick1. The section (grid ref. NJ 3297 8570) lies at an altitude of about 101 m OD in a disused quarry within Teindland Forest, 5 km south-west of Fochabers in Grampian Region, Scotland. The present study presents evidence which suggests that a fossil microflora contained within the soil can be assigned to two distinct phases of geological time, the Middle Devensian interstadial and the Ipswichian stage. This is augmented by stratigraphic analyses which suggest that the site is of wider significance for the Quaternary chronology of the area than has been appreciated.

The Distribution of Two Predators and their Prey in an Iron Rich Stream

Plectrocnemia conspersa (Curtis) and Sialis fuliginosa Pict. are two well-known streamdwelling carnivores with contrasting predator strategies. The net-spinning caddis larva, Plectrocnemia conspersa, can be considered as a 'sit-and-wait' predator, while the alderfly larva, Sialis fuliginosa, is more active. Their common occurrence in a small iron-rich stream was investigated after preliminary observations indicated that the diversity and abundance of available prey in the benthos was low. Information on the role of terrestrial food for invertebrate predators appears to be lacking, although trout have been shown to take a significant proportion of terrestrial invertebrates in their diet (Elliott 1967). Attempts were made to determine and account for the abundance and distribution of Plectrocnemia conspersa and Sialis fuliginosa and their prey and to describe the factors affecting feeding by these predators. There is evidence that many herbivores and detritivores in streams respond to factors related to food supply (Ulfstrand 1967), but rather little is known about biotic factors influencing stream-dwelling invertebrate predators. Therefore, emphasis has been placed on this aspect of predator distribution. Responses of predators to the distribution of their prey are well known in other habitats, and could prove to be important as stabilizing forces in animal communities (Hassell & Rogers 1972; Hassell & May 1973). The stream is a headwater of the river Medway and is situated on the Ashdown Sands of Sussex (Nat. Grid ref. TQ 436327, altitude approx. 120 m). The study section, which is up to 1 m wide, 20 cm deep and with flow rates ranging from 0 to 25 cm s-1, runs through mixed woodland of mainly Alder (Alnus glutinosa Gaertner), with Oak (Quercus robur L.), Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), Birch (Betulapendula Roth.), Holly (Ilex aquifolium L.) and Hazel (Corylus avellana L.). The substrate is variable, consisting of gravel, small stones and occasional rocks of up to 30 cm largest dimension and with extensive areas of fallen leaves and twigs. Except at the highest flow rates, the substrate is more or less covered with an ochre deposit of iron bacteria (probably mostly Leptothrix ochraceae Roth.) and ferric hydroxide derived from the iron bearing rocks of the area. The mean stream temperature during the study period was 13-3° C and the mean daily range 1-2° C (maximum daily range 2.0° C, minimum 0.5° C).

Monthly Determinations of the Concentrations of Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium and Calcium in the Rain and in Pools on the Silver Flowe National Nature Reserve

In 1959 the series of ombrotrophic mires in the valley of the Cooran Lane known as the Silver Flowe were declared a National Nature Reserve and in 1964 a programme of work on the mires was begun at the University of Hull. The Cooran Lane runs through a N-S orientated valley between the Merrick and Kells ranges in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. The Silver Flowe complex of mires has been described in some detail by Ratcliffe & Walker (1958). Between 1967 and 1970 work was carried out on the mire which Ratcliffe & Walker called Brishie bog (Nat. Grid ref. NX 477834) and between 1970 and 1973 on that which they named Craigeazle bog (Nat. Grid ref. NX 476810). In connection with this work it was necessary to visit the sites at monthly intervals and this provided an excellent opportunity to obtain data on the total inputs of various inorganic ions with the rain. In a paper dealing with sites in the English Lake District, Gorham (1955) states 'ion concentrations similar to or a little greater than those of the rain have been observed in pools on raised or blanket bogs' but Chapman (1965) working on Coom Rigg moss in Northumberland found that the mean concentrations of five ions at various sites on this bog were about four times the mean concentrations in the rain. On Bog Hill, in the Moor House Nature Reserve, Gorham (1956) collected water samples from several pools in May and August and found marked differences in ion concentrations between pools and between times of the year. It therefore seemed worth while to sample several pools on the Silver Flowe bogs in an attempt to obtain a comprehensive record of the variation in concentration of ions between pools and from month to month over the year as a whole. Chapman (1965) has shown that a considerable volume of water flows through the upper few centimetres of Coom Rigg moss and Boatman & Tomlinson (1973) have shown that water moves just below the surface of Brishie bog into the pools. During passage through the peat it is likely that ions are adsorbed on to the peat colloids and absorbed by plants. By comparing the mean monthly concentrations of ions in the pools with those in the monthly rain collections and, subsequently, by comparing the ratio of one to the other for the different ions, an estimate has been obtained of the relative amounts of different ions removed from the water while passing through the peat. Rain and pool water samples were collected at the Brishie site in 1969 and at the Craigeazle site between the beginning of July 1971 and the end of June 1972.

A Modified Method of Mapping Hill Vegetation in Relation to Animal Distribution

method which was developed to meet this problem. The study area was part of the Fionn Gleann which lies immediately north of the Meall nan Tarmachan hills, near Killin, Perthshire (Nat. grid ref. NN 560390). The total area of the glen is 246 ha and the area under observation for this project 186 ha. The floor of the glen is at an altitude of 600 m, the hills rising to 795 m on the west side and to 855 m on the east. The underlying rocks are comprised mainly of Ben Lawers calcareous schists, and some horneblende and siliceous schists (Johnstone & Smith 1965). Soil types include peat, podsolic soils, brown earths (showing varying degrees of podsolization) and skeletal soils. The vegetation consisted predominantly of grass, sedge and heather communities in an intricate mosaic, and ten types were distinguished. The most frequent associations (McVean & Ratcliffe 1962) were Agrosto-Festucetum, Nardetum sub-alpinum, Juncetum squarrosi sub-alpinum, Tricophoreto-Callunetum and Carex pxnicea-Campylium stellatum nodum; less frequent were Alchemilleto-Agrosto-Festucetum, Polytricheto-Caricetum bigelowii and Juncus squarrosus bog.

Oare Reconsidered and the Origins of Savernake Ware in Wiltshire

The purpose of this paper is to reconsider the significance of the so-called ‘Late Celtic rubbish heap’ near Oare (Nat. Grid Ref. SU 172643) in the parish of Wilcot, near Marlborough in central Wiltshire and to assess its implications for Savernake ware, a regional variety of grey culinary coarse pottery, known to have been produced in Savernake Forest, just south of Marlborough, Wiltshire. The site in question (FIG. I), 6–4 km south-west of the Roman walled town of Cunetio (Mildenhall) was dug into in 1907–8 by Benjamin and Maud Cunnington. Mr. and Mrs. Cunnington were attached to Devizes Museum from the late nineteenth until almost the mid twentieth century and became well known for their many excavations and publications, particularly on prehistoric sites in Wiltshire.