97 



Mr. Gavey says of Aston Magna : — " The cutting in question 

 lies north and south, which gives a transverse section of the 

 hill. From the north end to the centre of the cutting, the 

 upper bed consists of a thick accumulation of Gravel, Sand, and 

 Clay, derived from the inferior Oolite. This is not disposed in 

 layers, but forms an unstratified deposit, capping the summit of 

 the hill, and containing large blocks of the same formation, 

 lying in various positions. Trom the centre of the cutting this 

 deposit becomes mixed with a large quantity of amall Chalk- 

 Fhnts, which are common in the neighbourhood. It may 

 therefore be inferred that this accumulation of OoKtic Gravel, 

 etc., consisted of the debris of the Cotteswold Hills during their 

 denudation, but which had not long been subjected to the action 

 of water, for the Gravel and blocks of OoUte bear no appearance 

 of having been rolled, and differ very much in this respect from 

 the large deposits of rolled Oolitic Gravel near the village of 

 Paxford, about two miles distant from this point, neither had 

 the few fossils (chiefly Terebratulse) which I found, any 

 appearance of being water- worn. In the centre of the cutting 

 and lying immediately under the above-mentioned Oolitic 

 Gravel, etc., is a thick deposit of very large Chalk Flints, many 

 of them weighing one and two cwt. each ; they are not water- 

 worn and retain their original white coating uninjured. These 

 are intermixed with blocks of hard Chalk, Greensand, and 

 Clay, together with a quantity of silicious Sand and pebbles." 



With the exception of too much Oolite being given, and not 

 sufficient Chalk Flints, I accept Mr. Gavet's description as 

 accurate. 



I saw some enormous blocks of Flint, not at all water- worn, 

 one, with a piece of chalk adhering to the hollow, with dendritic 

 manganese, but a good deal of the Flint in the Gravel is 

 broken up and reduced to a moderate size. 



On the surface of the northern part of the cutting the Gravel 

 is nearly all Oolitic, but the south is mainly composed of Flints, 

 with some N.D., the latter being found however throughout the 

 mass. 



It is difficiJt to estimate correctly this large accumulation of 



