ANOTHER EXTRACT-Dated March 19 and 20, 1851. "John Watkins, our gardener, showed me a blue and white hone, of very fine quality, which his father found, together with a quantity of gun-flints, many quite new, and many fragments of flint, as if they had been cut out on that spot, under about twelve feet of earth, in a part of the entrenchment removed by Mr. Blakemore beneath the Iron Tower. A skull was found in the same spot. Bones, he thinks, have been found in King Arthur's Hall-[perhaps sheepT.W.W.] A whole skeleton was found in what he called a 'Roman joint' (which I believe means a fissure in the rocks supposed to contain ore), in the rocks round the E. end of the hill, above Mr. Blakemore's lime-kiln. It seemed to have been merely covered with leaves. It was suspected, however, to have been that of a man who was formerly murdered down by the Fish-house. An old woman, during his own recollection, walked over the Cat Rocks during the night, being of weak intellect, and was killed; it was two or three days before her body was found." Dr. Bull said they were very much indebted to Mr. Webb for his interesting letter and extracts. The finding of the giant skeleton must be looked upon as traditional. Heath's book, The Excursion Down the Wye from Ross to Monmouth, was published in the year 1799, and the discovery of the skeleton is stated to have taken place in year 1700. Mr. Heath, who was a printer at Monmouth, gives the tale on the authority of a letter written by Mr. George White, of the New Weir, who admits it to have been "varyously told." Mr. White's letter thus gives the incident: "A poor woman being in search of a goat that annually brought her two kids, meeting some woodcutters near the camp, enquired if they had seen her goat, and received information that it had been observed going into such a hole near the mouth of the camp, which being somewhat small, the woman desired her informers to break down part (of the rock) to let in more light. I don't know whether the goat was found, but in return something more surprising, by the additional light thrown in, presented itself to their view, which was the body of a man of very large stature upon the ledge of the rock, and covered over by a natural tomb, an arch of the same rock. He lay at his length, I think, upon his back, with a spear by his side. One of them ventured to touch the body of this once mighty man, and all sunk down in dust." The bones were carried down to Mr. George White. ""Tis said the wooden part of the spear had mouldered into dust, but the head, which was of brass, was carried down to the master." Various accounts are given of the size of the bones, some making the skeleton as much as 10 or 11 feet long. They were sent to Captain Scudamore, of Kentchurch, and eventually to a Mr. Pye, a surgeon of Bristol, who was on the point of sailing to Jamaica. He took the bones with him, when the ship was cast away and himself and the bones buried in the sea. 66 The way was now taken by the rocks where the bones were found over the park walls for King Arthur's cave, and whilst the descent is made it will be well to give a brief account of the botanical observations of the day. Close by the stonework of the Iron Tower were found several specimens of the local plant Monotropa Hypopitys, yellow, or peach scented, bird's nest. It is parasitic, on the roots of the Beech tree. Pyrus aria, Whitebeam or White Wild Pear tree and its sub-species, Pyrus rupicola, with narrow leaves, grow freely on the rocks beside the Wye valley. The Belladonna plant, Atropa Belladonna, grew in great luxuriance on the loose stones and earth near the park wall. The Rev. Augustin Ley had gathered the Blue Fleabane, Erigeron acris, on the road side near old Marstow church. In Scudamore wood, Ganarew, he had gathered Dipsacus pilosus, the small Teasel, or Shepherd's Rod, and it grows also in the Doward woods. On the river beach at the Weir, Solanum nigrum was gathered, and on the banks grew several Polygonums, including the local and rare Polygonum mite. There were also several local mints (Mentha paludosa, Wirtgeniana, and sub-glabra); and any number of species of Bramble, including some rare ones, such as Rubus Borreri, new to the county, pyramidalis and imbricatus, which is also rare. The Rubus fruticosus was well attended to, as one gentleman facetiously remarked, for its fruit, the blackberries, were very fine and ripe, "Duly eager of the tempting store Adventurous hands the thorny maze explore." And very grateful they were in the long descent of the hill. A wide growth of hemp agrimony, Eupatorium cannabinum, occupied the lower portion of the wood, an indication of very damp ground, for it is a plant that more frequently grows by the water side. The path leading to the limestone cliff, on the Great Doward, was soon gained. In this cliff are many fissures or caverns, which the explorations of the Rev. Wm. Symonds and Sir. Wm. Guise, some few years since proved beyond doubt to have been formerly the dens of wild beasts, which in past ages of the world must have occupied these regions (see Woolhope Transactions for 1874). King Arthur's Cave is the largest of these caverns. It was found, nevertheless, with some difficulty, for its entrance was concealed by some trees and a fence, and as everybody on arriving entered the cave, the late comers passed by and found themselves alone in the wilderness, and wondered how the rest had suddenly disappeared. A look-out, however, was kept, and when all were assembled it was told how Mr. Symonds, at first in search of minerals, began to find bones, how he had the floor of the cave pecked up, and how beneath crusts of stalactite forming the floor, one or two feet in thickness, he found the bones of many extinct animals. Amongst the number were many specimens of the teeth of the cave lion (Felis spilœa), cave bear, and particularly of the cave hyæna, and the bones of their prey, such as those of the woolly-haired rhinoceros (ticorrhinus), the mammoth elephant, the great Irish deer, and the reindeer. The bones of the rhinoceros were found to be far the most numerous, and many of them bore the marks upon them of the teeth of the hyæna and cave lion. One great forearm of the mammoth was dragged in partly gnawed and hidden in a chink of limestone rock for future gnawing. Beneath this stalactitic floor, sealed up for ages, flakes of flint and scrapers were found lying side by side with the bones of these extinct animals. These flints must have been brought there by human agency, for there is none to be found within many miles of the district. From all the remains, and from the food the animals required, the prevalence of an arctic climate in these regions was essential; and Mr. Piper went on to observe that, though the present position of this cavern was some 300 feet above the level of the river Wye, the deposit of a silt, with Wye pebbles, in the floor of this cave, just like the pebbles and silt on the shore of the river at the present time, proves that in those ages long past the Wye in flood time flowed into this cavern. The greater part of our present land was covered with water, and if it is remembered too, that the extinct animals, whose bones have been sealed up in the cave, lived in the latter cold period of the glacial epoch, it was almost impossible to realize the difference as compared with the happier circumstances of the present day (applause). On the outside of the cave in the wood is a large mound of débris which these explorations have caused to be taken out of the floor of the cave. It is now all green and moss-covered, but, said Mr. Brown, it is full of bone remains, and the truth of his words was soon proved by the discovery of a tooth unknown to the doctors present. The way was taken through a pleasant path in the woods to visit the "Seven Sisters"-as these bold rocks abutting on the Wye valley are called-and as the visitors emerged from the sylvan recesses on the brow of one of these rocks, now and again, the peculiar beauty of the Wye scenery was very striking. A little further on, in the midst of the woods, on the slope of the Great Doward Hill, about a quarter of a mile from the river, is an oval space enclosed by a single entrenchment (an 8 feet ditch with an 8 feet embankment). The area inclosed is 65 yards by 40 yards, or about one-third of an acre. It is supposed to be an ancient British cattle keep-or very possibly a British residence. ber track now passes through it, and there seems no other definite entrance. The road was now taken to rejoin the carriages at Whitchurch, and by a pleasant change the ride back was made by the Kerne Bridge and Walford to Ross. A tim The dinner took place at the Royal Hotel, and your reporter is mistaken if the kind thoughtfulness at the Graig had not sent many of the lovely flowers that decorated the table, to be admired once more. After dinner, an excellent paper on "Some changes noticed in the Natural History in the neighbourhood of Ross during the last Thirty Years," by Mr. Henry Southall, F.R. Met. Soc., was read; and another paper on "The search for Coal in Herefordshire," was commenced by Mr. Geo. H. Piper, F.G.S., but he had scarcely entered upon his subject when time rendered it necessary to start for the station, and a safe return was accomplished. With such lovely weather, such charming scenery, and so many objects of interest to be appreciated, it is scarcely necessary to add that a very pleasant day was spent by all who had the good fortune to be present, and that another redletter-day-of a deep dye-has been marked on the archives of the Woolhope Club. The following gentlemen from the Woolhope Club took part in the day's proceedings :-The President, the Rev. Charles Burrough; Vice-Presidents, C. G. Martin and Geo. H. Piper, F.G.S.; Colonel Birch; Major Doughty; Captains Froude and Noyse; Drs. Bull, Chapman, and Wood; the Revs. J. Barker, W. Bowell, E. R. Firmstone, E. J. Holloway, A. W. Horton, W. R. Jenkins, A. G. Jones, J. H. Lambert, A. Ley, H. B. D. Marshall, D. Price, F. S. StookeVaughan, J. R. G. Taylor, and J. Tedman; Messrs. R. Atkins, A. St. John Attwood-Mathews, C. P. Bird, P. W. Bowell, T. Brown, R. Clarke, P. C. Cleasby, C. W. Radcliffe Cooke, J. T. Owen Fowler, Lacon Lambe, H. C. Moore, E. Pilley, A. J. Purchas, M. Purchas, T. M. Skinner, H. Southall, Arthur Taylor, H. Vevers, B. Watkins, and Theo. Lane. The Malvern Club were represented by the President, Mr. H. Wilson; Fraulein Gotzsch; the Rev. W. Hill and two Misses Hill; Dr. Carrington; the Rev. G. Thompson; and Messrs. R. P. Hill and Poulton. SOME CHANGES IN THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF ROSS DURING THE PAST THIRTY YEARS. By Mr. HENRY SOUTHALL, F.R. Met. Soc. "What exhibitions various hath the world That we account most durable below! In all that live, plant, animal, and man, The force that agitates, not unimpair'd; COWPER. The life-time of a generation is undoubtedly too brief a period to exhibit much evidence of change in the natural world, and yet it may be interesting to inquire if such evidence exists, and to what extent it has been noted. The absence of correct data for comparison often presents an obstacle not easily overcome, and mere hearsay or tradition is unreliable, since comparatively few are to be trusted as regards memory or accuracy. It may be well at the outset to consider what are the principal causes of change in the general features of a district, and also in the development of animal and vegetable life within its borders, and then to consider how far any of these causes have affected our own district. Perhaps these may be classified under the following heads: 1.-The extension of buildings and manufacture in towns and villages. 2.—The pulling down of old walls and buildings. 3.-The making of railroads and other highways. 4.-The filling up of canals. 5.--The clearing or cutting down of woods. 6. The drainage of bogs and pools. 7. The reclamation of waste lands and enclosure of commons. 8.-Other changes in the cultivation of lands, such as removal of hedges and ditches, &c. 9. The preservation of game leading to the destruction of many wild animals birds, &c. |