FOSSIL CORALS. 



73 



^.^-"-im 



fossil corals are harder, and as the faces of the slabs 

 are weathered, the fossils stand out in high relief. 

 To a young geologist who is fleshing his maiden 

 hammer, such a sight as is here presented produces 

 an effect not likely to be forgotten during life. 

 Myriads upon myriads, here 

 lie entombed the exuviae of 

 primeval seas ! No museum 

 in the world could attempt to 

 vie with these almost bare or 

 lichen-covered slabs for variety 

 and abundance of organic re- 

 mains. Hours can easily be 

 spent in climbing from crag to 

 crag, in and out of the brush- 

 wood which is irregularly 



growing where the layers of soft slate are intercalated 

 between the limestone slabs ; and one forgets that 

 the wide-stretching plain at the foot of the " Nest " is 

 superficially crowded with ironworks, manufactories 

 of all kinds, forests of chimneys (many of them out of 

 the perpendicular), colliery works in various stages 

 of mining development as to the modern character of 

 their pit gear, and densely packed regular or irregular 

 rows of unpicturesque-looking houses. The walls of 

 the old castle look over this modern scene of energy 

 and mechanics ; and the old and the new, even in 

 human history, are thus brought into strange juxta- 

 position. 



Fig. 56.— Transverse section of CH- 

 siophyllum, showing (,in part) 

 details of structure. 



