228 GEOLOGY OF THE ISLE OF WIGHT. 



group " Terrain Neocomien." But Dr. Fitton 

 has shown, by a careful comparison of a large 

 number of the French fossils with those from 

 Atherfield, that so close an agreement exists in 

 the organic remains, as to leave no reasonable 

 doubt that the so-called Neocomian strata are but 

 the equivalents of the lower series of the English 

 greensand system.* 



In a Report read before the British Association 

 of Science, at Southampton,!" Dr. Fitton gave a 

 table of 150 species of shells, the stratigraphical 

 position of which has been accurately deter- 

 mined. From this it appears that 130 species 

 occur in the lowermost 150 feet of strata; and 

 that in the upper beds, comprising a thickness 

 of nearly 700 feet, but twenty additional species 

 are met with ; the absolute number of fossils 

 also rapidly diminishes, but few, if any, organic 

 remains appearing in the uppermost layers. But 

 throughout this period of consecutive deposition, 

 one series of fossils only is indicated, bounded by 

 the Wealden below and the Gait above. It is 

 the lowermost part of the Atherfield section which 

 is regarded as the equivalent of the remarkable 



* The name Neocomian is introduced in the section, liy/i. 17, p. 215, to 



ate these remarks, 

 t In September, !MG. 



