of the Red Limestone of Hunstanton. 237 



whose opinion was, I believe, founded on the same data as Sir 

 Roderick's, not only differs from him, but also from himself. 

 At pages 309 and 313 the Doctor speaks confidently of the red 

 stratum representing the Gault, and falling in with its strike. 

 At p. 315, he observes, " The Gault has but a doubtful repre- 

 sentative ;" and this is further modified by a statement at p. 319, 

 that the Hunstanton red marly beds are supposed to contain 

 Gault fossils : page 323 indicates a relapse to decided Gault ; 

 and finally, in pp. 359 to 363, it is considered (with a query) to 

 be Chalk. According to the ranges as now known. Dr. Fitton's 

 list of fossils gives, Chalk four. Upper Greensand five, and Gault 

 five. The only conclusion here to be deduced is, that, in the 

 Doctor's opinion (based on the same comparative evidence as 

 those of Rose and Woodward), the fossils do not justify the 

 forming of a decided opinion. 



It is to be regretted that so disputed a subject should have 

 found its way into some popular text-books. Prof. Ansted inti- 

 mates that the bed is Lower Chalk coloured by the accidental 

 presence of iron. Dr. Mantell remarks that the chalk is generally 

 white, but that in some localities it is of a deep red. 



Mr. David Page * in one place announces that in the north of 

 England the Lower Chalk is reddish, but in the next paragraph 

 remarks that, in York and Lincoln, a stratum of red chalk is 

 thought to represent the Gault of the southern counties ; and 

 two pages further on, he again says that the Chalk is red in the 

 north. Such inconsistent remarks, based apparently on second- 

 hand information, cannot require comment ; but it is to be hoped 

 that in future editions they will be avoided. 



In the preliminary observations to his great work on Fossil 

 Brachiopoda, Mr. Davidson thinks it probable that the Red 

 Chalk will prove to be the representative of the Belgian Tourtia ; 

 but further on in the body of the work he relinquishes the idea, 

 and appears to adopt the suggestion of Mr. Rose, that the bed 

 represents the Gault. 



These, then, were, till last year, the only opinions published, 

 when Mr. Wiltshire produced a little pamphlet on the subject — 

 the largest contribution to our knowledge and speculations. 

 On the question at issue Mr. Wiltshire presents no definite 

 opinion, or rather, none of which he justifies the acceptance. 

 On the first page the reader is informed that the geologist gives 

 so wide an interpretation to the term Chalk as to include the 

 red beds of Norfolk and Yorkshire ; and at page 4 it is further 

 stated that the change from the white chalk to the red is gra- 

 dual : this is one opinion. At page 11, the author gives, with- 



* Advanced Textbook, 2ud ed. 1851). 



