HORDWELL FOSSILS. 171 



at which I obtained so many interesting fossils there 

 were indications of a contrary current ; a circum- 

 stance, however, which may very probably have 

 depended upon a sudden bend in the river. The 

 uniformly fine character of the sand, and the con- 

 dition in which it was thrown down, would lead 

 me to infer that the flow of the stream was ex- 

 tremely gentle. The gradual disappearance of 

 marine species, such as are found at Long-mead 

 End, and their replacement, as we proceed east- 

 ward, by species of freshwater origin, is just such 

 a succession as we should expect to meet in 

 tracing the course of a river upwards from its 

 mouth." * 



Hordwell fossils. — The numerous marine 

 fossil shells which are obtained from this part of 

 the coast of Hampshire are generally known as 

 Hordwell fossils, but it is scarcely necessary to 

 remark, that they almost entirely belong to the 

 London clay strata, and are procured from Barton 

 C'lifis. These fossils are most conveniently ob- 

 tained from the low cliff near Beacon-bunny, and 

 occur in greatest abundance in the upper part of 

 the dark green sandy clay. There are generally 

 blocks of the indurated portions of the strata on 

 the beach, from which fossils may be extracted. 



* The new "London Geological and Palceontoloyical Journal." loc. cit. 

 K 



