276 



OUR COMMON BRITISH FOSSILS. 



Eocene beds of the district. The Hempstead Beds 

 (sometimes regarded as Lower Miocene) run along 

 the coast, and are especially well developed at the 

 locality whence they take their name. The sea-bed 

 there (at low water) is seen to be formed of stiff 

 bluish clay, intercalated in which are strata of harder 

 masses, probably hardened by diffused iron and lime, 

 and by others formed of nothing but shells. All the 

 shells, bivalve and univalve, belong to fresh-water 

 species, such as Paliidina lenta (which occurs in enor- 

 mous numbers in the harder interstratified masses), 

 Melaniay Melanopsis, Cyrena, Corbula, Cyclas, Unio, etc. 



On the coast side of 

 Yarmouth, towards Alum 

 Bay — a distance thence 

 to the latter place of about 

 seven or eight miles — the 

 geologist finds plenty of 

 work, quite sufficient 

 climbing, and a delight- 

 ful sea view. The fossils 

 lie strewn about the tahis 

 of the cliffs in all direc- 

 tions. They are so in- 

 numerable that the col- 

 lector gives up all en- 

 deavour to identify them, 

 and simply " boxes them." They have been washed 

 out of the beds in which they were originally de- 



Fig. 2^.— Valuta atJdcta (Eocene). 



