of the Inferior Oolite. 173 



the series. The lower fossilifcrous zone is a dark grey concre- 

 tionary band of rock crowded with valves oi Limjula Bcanii ; in 

 smaller numbers are Orbicula rejlexa, Vermetus cuncinnus, Aviaila 

 ina'(juivalvis ? and another Avicula, a small smooth Pecten, Ceri- 

 thiuin, &c. Belemnites arc not uncommon, but Ammonites are 

 rare, and are obtained singly and at intervals throughout the 

 sandstones; these are, A. varid/ji/is, xar. Bcfinii, A. strintulus, 

 and A. Aalensis; the lattc-r form has not been observed in the 

 Cotteswolds, but occurs in the same stage (Lias Zeta of Quen- 

 stedt) in the Jura. Vermetus coiicinnus occurs at intervals 

 throughout the sandstones in small groups, and usually isolated. 

 The dark grey colour of the lower beds of sandstone changes 

 upwards to a foxy hue, and at the sununit is the upper fossili- 

 ferous zone, from 14 to 18 inches thick, concretionary and 

 dark-coloured ; altogether it nearly resembles the Cottcswold bed 

 at Harestield Hill, with Cephalopoda. In like manner, each 

 abounds with a Terebratula, which is its predominating fossil ; 

 the Yorkshire shell is the Terebratula trilincata of Young and 

 Bird, T. ovoides, Sow., a larger form than the subpunctata of 

 Haresfield, but which very much resembles the latter shell when 

 collected indiscriminately at each locality, and without prefer- 

 ence to presumed typical forms : unfortunately, the Blue Wick 

 specimens are more frequently compressed and distorted. Other 

 fossils recognized are, Pleurotomaria subchcorata, D'Orb., which 

 also occurs at Nailsworth ; Belemnites conipressus, B. irregularis, 

 and portions of Ammonites. Rhynchonelln cynocepluila has 

 occurred very rarely, and several specimens of 7^. bidens are also 

 recorded. The thick sandstones of the Dogger which overlie 

 this zone abound with small quartzose pebbles, which are never 

 seen beneath the trilineata bed. 



In Gloucestershire, the lower zone at Brimscombe and Nails- 

 worth has produced the Liassic Orbicula reflexa, Avicula in- 

 ^quivalvis ?, Lima Galathea, Ammonites Raquinianus, which 

 is the crassus of Phillips, and another tumid form which much 

 resembles it, and may be only a distinct variety. These have 

 not been found to pass into the upper zone; but the oolitic ele- 

 ment is fully represented in this lower zone by certain Conchi- 

 fera, as Myoconcha crassa, Penia rugosa, Trigonia striata, Pho- 

 ladomya fidicula, Modiola cuneata, Goniomya angulifera, Mytilus 

 lunularis, Modiola ungulina, Gresslya abducta, and Modiola com- 

 pressa. The upper zone contains in addition the following 

 Oolitic species: — Cypricardia cordiformis, Hinnites abjecfus, 

 Astarte excavata, Sow., var., A. detrita, Macrodon Hirsonensis, 

 Modiola Sowerbii, Gervillia Hartmanni, Gresslya conformis, 

 Homomya a'assiuscula. Pecten textorius and Turbo capitaneus 

 appear to have a considerable stratigraphical range, as they are 



