FOSSIL MOLLUSC A. 277 



posited, and the wash of the rain-water has strewn 

 them thus over almost the entire face of the cliff. 

 What myriads of Cerithium, Rissoa, Hydrobia, Me- 

 lania, etc. ! 



This lovely Isle of Wight is surely the " garden " 

 of English geology ! Where else in Great Britain, 

 within so short a space, can the young geological 

 student see so much, collect so many objects, or be 

 able to roam over such a variety of geological and 

 geographical scenic features ? From the Wealden 

 and Greensand to the great backbone of Chalk, which 

 runs through the length of the little island, right up 

 through all the most interesting deposits of Lower, 

 Middle, and Upper Eocene here we have a perfect 

 " thumb-nail " geological sketch. Some of the Upper 

 Eocene beds are not found elsewhere in Great 

 Britain, as the local names they bear testify. The 

 Isle of Wight will long be " classic ground " to the 

 geologist, not only for its variety of geological forma- 

 tions and plethoric abundance of fossils, but also 

 because of dear old Dr. Mantells' book upon it 

 which, if any young and ardent student happens to 

 read it, he will straightway go, on the first oppor- 

 tunity, and verify what that "grand old man" had 

 to tell them about ! 



Cowes is a good place (rather too good for a 

 quiet and economic student) to put up at, if he wishes 

 to work the " Fluvio-marine " series. Thence he will 

 make his way to Osborne (which would be sacred 



