EAST WEAK BAY. 49 



VI. EAST WEAR BAY GEOLOGICAL. 



The geologist possesses this advantage over the 

 botanist and entomologist, that he can follow out his 

 open air studies at all times and at all seasons. 

 With the objects of his search there are none of those 

 periods of appearance and disappearance such as 

 limit his brother naturalists. Fossils are to be found 

 in all lands of weather, and can be studied in situ at 

 Christmas just as weU as at Midsummer, provided 

 always of course, that the geologist himself be indif- 

 ferent to seasonal changes. 



Our visitors, however, of geological predilections 

 are mostly here in the summer months, and never a 

 day passes then when several may not be seen per- 

 ambulating the clay and the sands, hammer and 

 knife in hand, on a search which will undoubtedly 

 proved successful. For East Wear Bay is a grand 

 storehouse of the relics of bygone worlds. 



" Thick as autumnal leaves that strew the brooks 

 In Vallombrosa," 



are the tokens that tell of the ancient inhabitants. 

 Glittering in the blue clay as the tide recedes are 

 innumerable shells of Ammonites more or less imper- 

 fect, and the valves of Inocerami in a similar condi- 

 tion. Perhaps a few hints on the best mode of pro- 

 ceeding will prove not unacceptable to those unac- 

 customed to working in the Gault. A hammer, 

 generally regarded as a sine qua non on a geological 

 expedition, will be useless here, there is no hard 



