MancJieslcr Memoirs, Vol. liii. (1909), No. *4!''J. 



XXII. British Permian Footprints. 

 By George Hickling, B.Sc, 



Lecturer in Geology in the University 0/ Mancltester. 

 ( Read April bth, igog. Received for publication May 'jth, igog.) 



Introduction. 



The main object of this communication is to ^Ive. a 

 review of the known fossil footprints from the Permian 

 rocks of this country, and to show that they may be used 

 for the purpose of distinguishing Permian from Triassic 

 deposits. In this manner two important series of rocks 

 may, I beHeve, aheady be shown to belong to the former 

 series, viz., the Red Sandstones of Dumfriesshire, and the 

 footprint-bearing beds near Elgin ; while the impressions 

 recently discovered near Exeter will doubtless throw 

 light on the age of the Devonshire red rocks. (Clayden, 

 :08^, :08/^). 



In 1906 I published a description and figures of a 

 series of footprints from a sandstone intercalated in the 

 Magnesian Limestone of Mansfield, Notts. (Hickling, :06), 

 No impressions had previously been figured from the 

 undoubted Permians of this country, one collection only 

 having been briefly described by Mr. Varty Smith from 

 Penrith (Smith, Varty, '84). Through the kindness of 

 Mr. Smith I have recently been able to examine those 

 prints, the more definite of which are figured in Plate II., 

 Figs. 9 — 13. On examining the quarry in which the 

 Mansfield impressions were found, I discovered numerous 

 other impressions, the description of which has been 



June 18 th, igog. 



