2 
the South Downs, which have been noticed by himself and others. 
But the extent of the Chalk formation is so great, and the parts 
accessible to examination so limited, that the fossils of each locality 
merit the special attention of the collector, and I trust I shall be 
able through the assistance of my friends, which will be more parti- 
cularly noticed when treating of the Chalk, to add several new and 
interesting specimens, especially amongst the Asterie. Bracklesham 
Bay has been known for many years as a rich deposit of the London 
Clay fossils. Mr. Webster, Dr. Mantell and Mr. Bowerbank have 
each added to its celebrity ; yet still I hope to show, that this part of 
Sussex is deserving of a more minute inspection, and of ranking, if 
not the first in England, yet as a very rich locality, to those geologists 
who are fond of examining the fossil records of the Eocene period*. 
I am well-aware that individual exertion is not sufficient to give a 
faithful account of any geological position. To keep pace with modern 
discoveries, and compare specimens from other localities of the same 
date, more time and leisure are requisite than a professional man can 
devote to such pursuits. I have been very fortunate in having the 
cabinets of my friends Mr. Bowerbank and Mr. Fred. Edwards to refer 
to on all occasions ; these gentlemen have been with myself collectors 
at Bracklesham for the last eight or ten years, and their authority will 
be often mentioned in this part of my work. I am much indebted to 
Mr. J. De C. Sowerby for his descriptions and valuable information, 
* «There are few localities where the London Clay can be examined, of which so little is known, 
and which at the same time is so worthy of a careful investigation, as that portion presented to 
our view by the action of the sea at Bracklesham Bay and its neighbourhood, on the coast of 
Sussex. The deposit here differs so much, both in its mineral character and fossil contents, from 
the same formation in other parts of England, and exhibits so close an approximation in both 
these respects to the corresponding beds in France—those of the Caleaire Grossier—as to render 
it a matter of surprise that it has not attracted a greater share of attention from English geolo- 
gists.” —On the London clay formation at Bracklesham Bay, Sussex, by J. S. Bowerbank, Esq., 
F.R.S., F.G.S., &c., from Magazine of Natural History, 1840, volume iy. p. 23. 
