Fossil Shells at Burlington Quay. 355 



Art. XI. A short Account of an interesting Deposit of Fossil 

 Shells at Burlington Quay* By Mr. William Bean. 



Being on a geological excursion ten days ago [from 

 March 30.], in the neighbourhood of Burlington Quay, Mr. 

 Walter Wilson, an intelligent lapidary of that place, directed 

 my attention to a deposit of fragile and broken shells which 

 the late high tides had exposed on the north side of the har- 

 bour, and near the pleasure-ground called the Esplanade. 

 Ere I visited the place, I expected to find one of the lacus- 

 trine deposits so very common on this coast. On arriving at 

 the spot, a heterogeneous mass, only a few yards long, and as 

 many high, presented itself, composed of sand, clay, marine 

 shells, and pebbles of every description ; chalk and flint were, 

 as might be expected, the most abundant. I hastily procured 

 a few specimens of shells, and was delighted to find my anti- 

 cipations in this instance had not been realised. 



The colour and appearance of this shelly bed resemble the 

 London clay, but the fossils have the character of those found 

 in the crag formation : [the shelly bed contains] a greater num- 

 ber of species than have been at present obtained, and much 

 caution will be requisite ere its geological position can be 

 truly determined. Thus much, however, is certain, that these 

 shells are coeval with, if not of higher antiquity than, the crag. 

 Mr. Phillips, in his excellent Illustrations of the Geology of 

 Yorkshire, mentions a somewhat similar deposit near Hedon : 

 but all the shells he has recorded are at present inhabitants of 

 our seas ; whereas more than half of those I have procured 

 cannot be referred to any existing species. I intend shortly 

 to publish a more detailed account, with a list of all the species, 

 and figures and descriptions of those that are undescribed. 



Shells of the following genera have occurred : Dentalium, 

 2?alanus, Pholas, Mya, Corbula; Saxicava, a large rugged 

 shell; Psammobia, Tellina; Astarte, four species; Cyprina, 

 Cytheretf, Venericardia, Cardium; Nucula, two species, one 

 large and beautiful ; ik/ytilus ; Pecten, two species ; O'strea?; 

 Natica, two species ; Scalaria : Turbo, a fine pearly shell ; 

 Littorina, Turritella; Pusus, four species. 



I have again visited this place in company with Dr. Mur- 

 ray; we reaped a rich and abundant harvest, and I was 

 rejoiced to find the opinion I had previously formed imme- 

 diately assented to by so able and experienced a geologist. 



Scarborough, March 30. 1835. 



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