25 



over the whole of the Bristol Coal Field, and in the northern 

 part is a marked feature and broadly exposed. The "faillts" 

 named traverse this, and its jointed structure added to its porous 

 condition facihtates the passage of water and the decomposition 

 of oxidizable materials ; thus also it may be the means of still 

 increasing the deposit of Iron ore, which is believed to be now 

 rapidly accumulating through the agency of great volumes of 

 water highly charged with the oxides of Iron in solution, which 

 is being deposited on the sides of the fissiires and walls of the lodes. 



These several conditions and theoretical views upon the whole 

 question of the modes, age, or time of infilhng, &c., are discussed 

 at considerable length in Mr. Etheeidge's paper, which contains 

 diagrammatic illustrations of the " faults " and position of the 

 " Pennant." 



In conclusion, Mr. Ethekidge seemed to have no doubt but 

 that these deposits of Iron are due to phenomena acting mainly 

 from without through infiltration and percolation, or are 

 " exoteric " in their origin, not being connected with any deeply 

 seated action from within, or " esoteric." Both these and other 

 phenomena relative to the fiUing-in or accxunmulation of the 

 ores of Iron are gone into at length in the important paper 

 which forms so striking a feature in our published transactions 

 for the past season. 



The last meeting of the Club for the season was held on 

 Wednesday, 27th September, at Beckford. The railway cuttings 

 in that neighbourhood afford good sections of the " lower level 

 gravels," which have at various times yeilded bones of the 

 Mammoth, shells of boreal type, and other evidences of the 

 latest geological changes, to which the valley of the Severn has 

 been subjected. These gravels are for the most part made up 

 of "detritus" from the Cotteswold range, as shewn by the 

 numerous fragments of ooHtic fossils and material mixed with 

 liassic forms which constitute the staple of these drift-beds. 

 Many of these fossils are found in a remarkable state of preserva- 

 tion, shewing that they have undergone but Httle alteration from 

 roUing. A very fine example of Ammonites radians was picked 

 up on the present occasion scarcely at all altered by friction. 



