64 CASTLETON. 



of iron. In some of the nodules of impm-e limestone I found, in examin- 

 ing them upon the occasion of a former visit, cavities lilled with dried 

 bitumen, and sevei'al specimens of a species of Modiola and Goniatites 

 reticulata. 



Upon the opposite site of the road, the western, is the famous 

 Windy Knoll Quarry — the scene of the labours of several farmers, 

 of some students of Owens College, Manchester, and last, but not 

 least, of Mr. Eooke Pennington. This quarry is remarkably situated. 

 It is near to the most northern point of the mountain limestone of 

 Dex'byshire, and in the direct line of route from the Cheshire plains to 

 the Vale of Hope. To quote the words of Mr. Pennington in the 

 " Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society for May, 1875," " the Yore- 

 dale beds dip northwards : a fault runs close to the spot. The hno of 

 division between the mountain hmestone and the overlying rocks runs, 

 roughly speaking, to S.E. and S.W. of this quarry." But that which has 

 served to render this quarry famous has been the discovery of a fissure 

 fiUed with the remains of extinct animals. Certainly, it has been a 

 remarkable place. I say it 7irts been, for when I visited it, last August, 

 all trace of it, with the exception of a few splinters of bones, two speci- 

 mens of the tarsus, and one of the humerus of the Reindeer, had dis- 

 appeared ; the rock having been blown down, and the bones taken away. 



It would appear as if this fissure lay in the track of animals making 

 their way from the Cheshire valleys and plains to the Vale of Hope, and 

 that connected with it was a swampy pool, to which they went to drink ; 

 that the weak ones stuck fast in the mud, from which they were unable 

 to extricate themselves ; that whilst in this predicament they fell an 

 easy prey to bears and wolves, whose bones, in their turn, became 

 mingled with those of their victims. The bones found in this fissure 

 were of all parts of the animals : — The bison (Bison prisciis,) the reindeer 

 (Cervus tarandus,) the grisly bear ( Ursits ferox,) the wolf (Canis lupus,) the 

 fox (C. imlpcs,) the hare (Lepus timidus,) the rabbit (L. cuniculus,) and 

 the water-vole (Arvicola amphibia.) Before passing on we must notice the 

 remarkable bed of elastic bitumen which is found here, overlying a mass 

 of mountain limestone, on the south side of the quarry. Besides this 

 a great mass of limestone on the north side of the quarry has become so 

 saturated with the bitumen that when placed in a fire it burns with a 

 clear, bright flame. In this last-mentioned limestone I found an internal 

 cast of Eitomjihalus Dionysii, two species of Productus, two of Athijris, one 

 of Spirifera, and a beautiful specimen of Conocardium niinax. 



Leaving this interesting quarry we proceed to the Blue John Mine in 

 Traycliff. This mine is thegi-and depository of the amethystine or topaziuo 

 fluor spar, locally called " Blue John," to distinguish it from " Black Jack," 

 or zinc ore. This substance is composed of lime and fluoric acid, the 

 most penetrative and corrosive of any acid known ; the blue colouring 

 matter being oxide of manganese. Descending by a flight of stops, a 

 narrow confined passage is reached, that winds between the rocks. From 

 the roof of this passage stalactites are pendant, whilst in the sides 

 ci'ystals of carbonate of lime ghsteu. After descending for a short time, 



