of Hordwell, Hampshire. 3 



They are very level; the only striking exception occurs at Mead 

 End, where the lowest of this series rises, and where there is a 

 sudden dip in the L6th and part of the 15th and 17th strata. 

 The under part of this dip in the 17th stratum is filled up by a 

 very bright green clay, filled with veins of the dark-coloured clay 

 above, and containing the same shells. I was particularly for- 

 tunate in finding this portion of the cliff uncovered in a way 

 which had not occurred for four or five years. The sea on this 

 coast, sometimes for a week or ten days together, sets in to one 

 particular spot on shore, that it may not have touched for years, 

 and washes away shingle and cliff for many yards. 



It is difficult to account for this, unless it be that the shifting 

 of the enormous bed of shingle in the middle of the channel 

 between this coast and the Isle of Wight alters the direction of 

 the under currents, which are very strong, as well as the tide on 

 this coast. 



As it would be difficult for strangers to find the exact spot 

 where these beds crop up and where they disappear, I will merely 

 remark that the whole that are described here, occur within a 

 distance of 2 miles from their commencement, to Mead End about 

 a quarter of a mile further than Hordwell House (Dr. Chambers'). 

 I have not carried my description further, as these constitute pro- 

 perly the Hordwell or freshwater series. I have divided them 

 according to the different character of the deposits and their 

 contents. 



Stratum 1 varies from 6 to 8 feet in depth. It is composed 

 of grayish sand in bands with a yellow sand tinged with iron. 

 It does not dip quite so much as the others, and runs perhaps a 

 trifle further. 



The upper and principal part of the bed is entirely barren in 

 fossils ; but about half a mile from the spot where this stratum 

 crops up, a small band of about 4 inches of dark-coloured 

 clay appears at the top nearly of the bed, which contains many 

 remains, though generally much compressed and in a very brittle 

 state. Small jaws of Rodents, portions of the carapace and 

 plastron of Emys, teeth, and occasionally many broken bones of 

 Crocodiles, vertebrae of Serpents, and rarely the teeth and bones 

 of Mammals, are found here. Remains of Trionyx, so common 

 in the lower beds, are not met with in this. Beneath this band 

 is an imperfectly formed limestone band, about 5 or 10 inches 

 in depth, consisting of crushed Limnea and Paludinm. The 

 whole of these narrow bands run for about 300 yards, and then 

 disappear. They are generally so entirely covered by the sands 

 of the upper part, that unless dug for, they cannot be found. 

 They are easily worked, but the larger bones and teeth are 

 always in a very brittle, bad state. Just before the commence- 



B2 



