191 



illustration of what may be done by bringing local knowledge to 

 bear upon particular facts, it may not be out of place here to 

 introduce to the notice of the Club certain circumstances which 

 have of late created a great sensation amongst geologists, and 

 which serve again to warn us against accepting the dicta of even 

 the most accomplished minds as though they were not only 

 unquestionable, but as if it were heretical to question them. 



The reptiliferous Sandstones of Elgin, in the North of 

 Scotland, have been long celebrated as furnishing the fossil 

 remains of certain reptiles of which the Telerpeton elginense and 

 the Hyperodapedon Gordoni, both highly organised reptilian 

 forms are the most notable. These Sandstones have hitherto 

 been attributed to the age of the " Old Red Sandstone " by all 

 geologists, including Sir Roderick Murchison, Professor Ramsay, 

 and Hugh Miller. At the same time, however, there have not 

 been wanting those, who looking to the type of the animal 

 remains, have doubted their palcaozoic character, though they 

 hesitated in the face of such concurrent authority to admit their 

 claims to a place in the mesozoic series. 



Previous to the meeting of the British Association at 

 Aberdeen, Mr. Charles Moore, of Bath, visited the neighbour- 

 hood of Elgin, and from his knowledge of the palaeontology and 

 geology of the Liassic and Triassic periods, completely changed 

 the geologic history of these Elgin Sandstones. He discovered, 

 by comparison of fossil evidences, that the so-called " Old Red 

 Sandstones," were in truth attributable with all their contained 

 reptiles and fishes to the age of the Trias, between which and 

 the superimposed Lias, the intermediate junction-beds witti the 

 characteristic " bone-bed " are distinctly recognisable. 



Upon the announcement of this discovery, the beds at Elgin 

 were visited by the first physical geologists of the day, who have 

 fully recognised and confirmed what the paloeontological know- 

 ledge and acumen of Mr. Moore, had first afforded a clue to un- 

 ravel, and I have authority for stating, that Sir Charles Lyell 

 intends omitting the Telerpeton, and his companions from the 

 list of Upper Devonian fossils in the forthcoming (6th) Edition 

 of the "Manual." 



The reptiliferous beds of Elgin are considered to be the 

 equivalents of the Rhnchosaurus " Sandstones" of Greenshill, near 

 Shrewsbury, and of the " Waterstones " of Red Marley d'Abitot, 

 and of Ombersley, in Worcestershire. 



We will now revert to the proceedings of the Club after leaving 

 Garden Cliff. The next point visited was a small isolated mass 

 of " Upper Ludlow Rock/' at the back of Flaxley School, which 

 constitutes the lowest stratum displayed in that vicinity, of those 

 beds, by the upheaval of which, the edges of the Forest Coal- 

 basin have been formed. The " Tilestones " rest upon this boss, 

 dipping inwards comformably, while the " New Red " rests almost 



