THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



245 



posed to consider them as the equivalent of the saurian beds 

 in Gloucesterahire; and the more so because the latter is full 

 of a beautiful small ammouite, which characterizes it, viz., the 

 Ammunitcs plus, which is found in equal pi'ofusiou in the same 

 land iu Somersetshire and Gloucestershire. It is impossible 

 to say whether the insect beds occur at Knowle ; but it may 

 be inferred that the thickness of the lower lias here is not very 

 great, and it is of very limited extent in this district. The fact 

 of the presence of this formation at this spot is worthy of note, 

 as it is the only patch of lias for several miles, being what is 

 called an " outlier," that is, lying away from the main mass. 

 In many places these outliers form prominent hills or " knolls;" 

 and the village of Knowle evidently derives its name from this 

 circumstance, though not, perhaps, so prominent or distinct as 

 other outliers often are. This patch of lias occurs along a line of 

 " fault" in the midst of the red marl, by which it is surrounded 

 on all sides, and is eleven miles distant from the chief escarpment 

 of the lias on the south. The whole outlier is about a mile and 

 a half in length by half a mile in breadth. In order tocxplainthe 

 subject more clearly, he briefly pointed out the range and ex- 

 tent of the lias in Warwickshire. It might also be traced 

 along the banks of the canal, near Hampton. A small section 

 might be observed in the adj:cent bank, resting on the red 

 marl ; and this section presented, on a reduced scale, the lowest 

 strata at the base of this formation, similar in some respects to 

 the basement beds visible in Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, 

 &c. The bank appeared to consist of clay, with an included 

 layer of sandystone, containing casta of the small bivalve 

 shell called Pullaslra arenicola : and although no actual bone- 

 bed was here observed, there was sufficient evidence to show 

 the occurrence of a sandy bed connected with it, belonging to 

 the base of the liassic system ; and, indeed, it is highly pro- 

 bable that if the section were more exposed, the bone bed it- 

 self would be detected. Hitherto this is the most northern 

 point where it has been observed ; and the Field Club did a 

 very good day's work in noting this fact, slight as it might 

 appear to the uninitiated. Having explained the peculiar for- 

 mation of the hills at Knowle, the rev. gentleman proceeded 

 to state several facts connected with the bone-beds generally, 

 from which we select the following : — The bone-beds in the 

 lias consist of a thin dark-coloured stratum, containing com- 

 inuted fragments of fish and saurians with teeth and copro- 

 lites, always occurring at the base of the lias. It has been 

 noticed at Axmouth (Devon), Auscliife and Watchett (Somer- 

 set), Westbury, Wainlode Cliffe, and Coombe Hill (Glouces- 

 ter), and near Wilracote, in this county (Warwick), the two 

 extreme points being 140 miles asunder, its furthest northern 

 limit being Knowle. Here and at other places, the only shell 

 impressed in it is the Pullaslra arenicola, which apparently 

 created furrov/s when its foot (crawling) passed over the soft 

 mud, now sandy stone. Even this pseudo insignificant mollusc 

 served to iJentify the bed. The value of even a single fossil 

 in identifying a single stratum over a wide area deserves 

 attention ; and those of the members commencing the study of 

 geology will find it both useful and encouraging to bear this 

 in mind ; no fact, however trivial to careless eyes, will be 

 overlooked or deemed unimportant; for it may lead even 

 to great results, and indeed one recorded fact is worth a hun- 

 dred hasty generalizations or ill-adviaed theories, and he who 

 makes good use of ^iiiZe things in science does his work well, 

 and certainly is a far more useful member of society than the 



masses who pass through life without 'an object to attract 

 them, or without ever having done anything worth recording. 

 The abundance of animal remains on these bone beds would 

 favour the opinion that the phosphate of lime might be useful 

 for agricultural purposes, just as the crag in Suffolk and the 

 upper green sandstone at Cambridge are marked and largely 

 exported for the same purpose. With this view, he sent up 

 some specimens of the boue bed (among other things) to the 

 Great Exhibition ; and the only drawback to its application to 

 agriculture is the quantity of iron pyrites with which the 

 stratum is charged. But the iron is not without its use m 

 other ways. The mineral waters of Cheltenham are well 

 known ; and although it cannot be positively proved (no well 

 sinking ever having yet reached the red marl there) that the boue 

 bed exists under the town, it may be fairly inferred that it 

 does, from its contiguity to it not many miles distant on the 

 road to Tewkesbury. Whether the bone bed is there or not, 

 the water which rises from the red marl, and passes upwards into 

 the lias through certain cracks or crevices, obtains its valuable 

 medicinal qualities from the quantity of sulphuret of iron [iron 

 pyrites] disseminated through the clay, and such an abundance 

 of it as the bone bed contains would have more or less effect 

 on the saline waters emanating from the red marl below. 



The Chairman, in proposing a vote of thanks to the Rev. 

 Mr. Brodie, for the paper and remarks he had given, cordially 

 hoped with him, that an impetus would be given to their 

 movements. The application of bone-dust to agricultural 

 ends was an important, a very important question, and espe- 

 cislly to (heir farming friends. (Hear, hear). The upper 

 green sand, as had been stated, had yielded a considerable 

 quantity of bone-dust for exportation ; and he believed it had 

 been used in the hop districts to a very great extent, proving 

 a most valuable manure. Singular to say, the pre-Adamite 

 world seemed to furnish us with manure derived as it were 

 from the entrails of animsls, upon which [i. e., the manure] 

 the farmer of the present day grows his turnips ; and no doubt 

 (he continued) he does grow with that manure, because it is 

 the only form in which the phosphate of lime can be obtained. 

 There was but one locality whence the phosphate of lime 

 could be used in the same way as the super-phosphate pro- 

 duced from the bonea of animals recently dead ; and the bone- 

 manures were not Only universally used, but they were the 

 cheapest source; and though he must admit they were not pre- 

 excellent, still the gain in economy was great. It was thus 

 that antediluvian remains had actually furnished manure sent 

 from Birmingham, London, and all the metropolitan depots 

 throughout the country, as better calculated to produce that 

 most important "crop" — the turnip ciop. 



The vote was carried con amore ; and, after a discussion on 

 the preservation of Shakspeare's house at Stratford, and other 

 points of purely archreological interest, 



Mr. Brown, of Hilton Park, moved a complimentary vote 

 to the president for his able address. li was accorded and 

 acknowledged. 



The proceedings then became purely scientific and palseon- 

 tological. 



A visit was paid subsequently to the Cotton End Quarries, 

 »nd Mr. Perry, the secretary, directed attention to the un- 

 bedded bones of alabrynthidon. Mr. Brodie conjectured the 

 remains to belong to the huge animal's cranium. The party 

 then adjourned to dinner at the Woolpack Inn. 



