are laid out in flower gardens and parks, and the forest of more than seven thousand acres is the finest in England.  It is one of the royal preserves where the king occasionally goes hunting, but it really serves more the purpose of a great public park.  There are many splendid drives through the forest open to everybody, the main one leading straight away from the castle gates for about four miles and terminating at an equestrian statue of George the Third, of more or less happy memory.

A broad road leads from Windsor to Oxford; it is almost straight and without hills of consequence.  It is a favorite route for motorists, and at several points were stationed bicycle couriers of the Motor Union to give warning for police traps.  These guards patrolled the road and carried circular badges, red on one side and white on the other.  If the white side were shown to the passing motorist, the road ahead was clear; but the red was a caution for moderate speed for several miles.  This system, which we found in operation in many places, is the means of saving motor drivers from numerous fines.  The bicycle courier receives a fee very thankfully and no doubt this constitutes his chief source of revenue for service rendered.

About ten miles from Oxford we passed through Henley-on-Thames, famed for the University rowing-matches.  Here the river lies in broad still stretches that afford an ideal place for the contests.  The Thames is navigable for small steamboats and houseboats from London to Oxford, a distance of sixty miles, and the shores of the stream throughout afford scenes of surpassing beauty.  Just at sunset the towers of Oxford loomed in the distance, and it was easy to recognize that of Magdalen College, which rises to a height of two hundred feet.  Though Oxford is one of the older of the English towns, parts of it seemed as up-to-date as any we had seen, and the Randolph Hotel compared favorably with the best we found anywhere.

[Illustration:  Distant view of Magdalen tower, Oxford.]

The time which a tourist will devote to Oxford will depend upon his point of view.  To visit the forty-four colleges in detail and to give any time to each would manifestly require several days—­if not weeks—­and especially would this be true if one were interested to any extent in student life in the University.  Manifestly, people touring England in a motor car do not belong to the class described.  In order to get the most out of the trip, there is a constant necessity for moving on.  By an economical use of time, one may gain a fair idea of Oxford in a few hours.  This was what we had done on a previous trip and consequently we spent little time in the city on our second visit, merely remaining over night.  I think the method we pursued would be the most practical for anyone who desires to reach the most interesting points of the town in the shortest time.  We engaged an experienced hack-driver, who combined with his