CORRESPONDENCE. 265 



Carmpnbencc. 



Conchology. — New locality for Pupa marginata var. albina. Last 

 autumn my friend, Mr. F. Shrive, and I were at Cleve Prior in 

 Worcestershire, when we found the above, together with the type 

 Pupa marginata in great abundance. I visited the same locality a few 

 weeks ago, and found the old wall had been replaced by a new one, but 

 still there were plenty of shells to be found. I am indebted to Mr. 

 W. Nelson for naming the shell.— W. H. Bolaxd, Birmingham. 



Exposure of the Middle Series of the Bucklaxdi Beds in 

 Leicestershire.- — This sub-zone division of the Lower Lias is now 

 well exposed by the side of the Old Union Canal, near Fleckney, 

 where the beds are worked for brickmaking, etc. ; they are also 

 exposed for a short depth by a brook flowing near. The beds, as 

 visible, are covered with drift of about 3ft. in thickness ; underlying 

 this come about 20ft. of " soft blue shales, with rows of small lime- 

 stone nodules in the upper part," and containing larger nodules full 

 of fossils. The fossils seem to lie at a depth of 12ft. to 13ft. from the 

 surface; the shales are full of Gryphcea arcuata of large size; four 

 large Nautili have been found, one in possession of Mr. J. Marriott, of 

 Fleckney, being 15 inches in diameter ; Arietites Turin ri is common, of 

 all sizes, varying from J of an inch to 13in. and 17in. in diameter. 

 The following is a complete list of the fossils found : — Vertebrae of 

 Saurian, Pentacrinus psilonoti, Nautilus striata* (?), Arietites Turueri, 

 A. conybeari, A. semicostatus, Belemnites, Actaonina sinemuriensis (?), 

 Eucyclus elegans(?), Dentalium etalense, Chemnitzia, Lima gigantea, L. 

 pectinoides, Cardinia Listeri, Unicardiwm cardioides, Myacites, Astarte 

 obsoleta (?), Modiola HiUanoides, Ostrea Liassica, Gryphcea arcuata, 

 Rhynchonella plicatissima. — H. E. Qcilter, Leicester, October loth. 



The Geology of the Midland Counties. — Perhaps there are no better 

 places known in England for studying the palaeontology of the Silurian 

 period than Coalbrookdale. In the quarries on Benthall Edge may 

 be found the Cup Corals ( Cyathophyllum) ; Acervularia Ananas, a coral 

 resembling the Brain Coral of our present seas ; Syringophyllum ; Sun 

 Corals (Heliolites) ; Mushroom Corals; Sculptured Encrinites (Glyp- 

 tocrinus ; i Chain Corals (Halysites catenulatus) ; Lituites, and remains 

 of Orthoceras. In the "Bone Beds" of Ludlow are found 

 numerous ichthyolites, or fragments of fish remains, as fin-spines, 

 head-plates, and teeth. In the quarries there may be found branched 

 Graptolites, Trilobites, Crinoids, Orthoceras, Pentamerus, and 

 shells of Spirifer. At Ombersley and Bromsgrove, in the rocks belon^in^ 

 to the Triassic system, have been found teeth of gigantic Batrachians. 

 At Bromsgrove is a bed of Equisetacese, Calamites, and other flowerless 

 plants. In the hills of Derbyshire we get the Carboniferous system, 

 where, especially at Castleton, may be found Pentacrinus, Actinocri- 

 nua, Woodocrinus, Cyathocrinus, Apiocrinus, Trilobites, Producta, 

 Retepora, Ptilopora, Spirifera, Murchisonia, Nautilus, and Ortho- 

 ceras. in great abundance. At Leamington we have the Lower Lias, 

 where may be found the Giant Lima in profusion, Terebratulse, Lima 

 sulcata, Ammonites, and Belemnites. BetweenOxford and Leamington, 

 on the Great Western line, there is a deep cutting through Lias rock, 

 where may be found a variety of horned and simple Ammonites, the 

 Limas, the Gryphasa, and the small oyster of the Oolitic system. At 

 Alderston, in Worcestershire, may be found Pectens in great abundance, 

 and the large bivalve Perna. At Oxford we have the Oolitic system 

 appearing in a sandstone formation called Stonesfield slate, where the 



