27 
taria may be found in the greatest abundance ; no description can come 
up to the reality of the scene to the paleontological collector. I propose 
to call this, in remembrance of former times, the ‘ Barn-bed.’ Here 
we can contemplate the myriads of creatures that must have perished 
at the Eocene period; though perhaps the Beloptera-bed in numbers, 
and with a microscope, may appear far more extraordinary, being 
almost entirely composed of minute shells. 
The ‘ Barn-bed’ is more than half a mile long, and may be separated 
into three divisions ; the eastern part I shall call the ‘ Palate-bed,’ the 
middle the ‘ Turritella-bed,’ and the western the ‘ Venericardia-bed.’ 
The vertebre of serpents, the bones of turtles, the finest palatal remains 
of fish, the Myliobates, A:tobates, Edaphodon, portions of the Pristis, the 
teeth and vertebre of sharks, and the defensive bones of the Stluride, 
are all procured from the ‘ Palate-bed.’ In the middle and western 
division, that superb shell the Cyprea Combi is found, together with 
the Conus diversiformis, C. deperditus, Voluta Cithara, &c. At the north- 
west extremity of the ‘ Barn-bed’ may be observed large portions of a 
green arenaceous limestone, containing Venericardia planicosta, V. acuti- 
costa, Fusus longevus, &c., also a few blocks almost entirely made up of 
the Rostellaria macroptera, and detached pieces of Nummulite rock*. 
Beyond this, deposits of wood and sulphuret of iron may be seen ; 
but these beds are the last good development of Eocene fossils in 
Bracklesham Bay, being about three miles from Chichester Harbour, 
which is the western boundary of the shore in Sussex. 
I will endeavour now to point out the Eocene deposits which lie to 
the east of Pagham Harbour. 
The parish that divides Selsey from Bognor is called Pagham. 
* The Nummulite limestone is characteristic of the lower beds of the Milliolite limestone in 
the neighbourhood of Paris. 
[by 4 
