59 



sometimes called turtles' eggs, one explanation of these strange 

 bodies being th;it the>- arc uot turtles' eggs at all, but the 

 shrivelled up bodii's of the Jielemnites, tlie extinct representatives 

 of the cuttle fislies, who left their tails behind them in countless 

 numbers, the egg like part containing forty per cent, of phosphate 

 of lime. By that process (of which we find several instances, us 

 substitution of iron pyrites, sulpliato of lime, carbonate of lime, and 

 silica, for organic matter in fossils), the skeleton of the former wood 

 has been left with a body strangely transformed into a mineral, that 

 might be suspected in animal, but least in vegetable remains. Some 

 very interesting information respecting these beds is contained in the 

 Geological Magazine, IT.S., vol. I., 1874, page 474, ami a very able 

 and pleasantly written scries of articles, by Mackie, in the Geologist 

 for 1860. The lowest of the Folkestone series is composed of coarse 

 grains of "(quartz, glaucouito, jasper, lydian stone," and pliospliatie 

 nodules. Beds of greensaud then succeed, and in the highest por- 

 tion near Copt I'oiut, very hard silicious limestone and finally dark 

 pyritons greensand with phosphatic nodules. Some of the ammo- 

 nites (ammonites iutoruptus) in tliis zone are encrusted with beau- 

 tiful crystals of selenite. Through the long ages that these accu- 

 mulations of strata represent, the same physical conditions of tliis 

 part of the world seem to have prevailed, for the great I'iver still 

 continued flowing as evidenced bj- the fossil wood so abundant in the 

 upper part of this formation, and perliaps the old land tliat supported 

 such vegetation was at least entirely submerged, and ceased to 

 exist as a land sui-face, for the succeeding cretaceous rocks are 

 through a thousand feet in thickness uncontaminated by anything 

 that is uot purely marine 



Having left the Hastings Sands to the south, crossed the valley 

 of the Weald Clay, and surmounted the Lower Greensand range, we 

 find ourselves in the, so far as scenic effects arc concerned, un- 

 interesting valley of the Gault Clay. At Eastwear Bay, within a 

 mile from the Folkestone junction railway station, the upper por- 

 tion of the Lower Greensand, known as the Folkestone beds, is 

 exposed to view, capped at Copt Point by the Lower and Upper 

 Gault, wliere the constant attacks of the sea are continually laying 

 bare fresh surfaces to atmospheric action. To the south of Martello 

 tower number three, which ibrins an excellent landmaiJc, we have 

 the several beds in their natural order, nearer to the cluilk escarp- 

 ment the landslips going on from time to time have rendered all so 

 confused, that it is impossible to study the beds in their proper 

 succession, but it is, nevertheless, a rich hunting ground for the 

 fossil collector. The best weapon for attacking the tougii blocks of 

 clay, that weather out from the great masses of the beds, I have 

 found to be the ordinary bricklayer's hammer, which may be pur- 

 chased for three and sixpence, weighing Avith its handle less than 

 three pounds. A case for holding such a hammer may be form?d by 



