RAMBLING THOUGHTS IN A HANLEY MARL PIT. 69 



called marl, and therefore you will understand why the 

 term marl is difficult of definition. It is in fact often ap- 

 plied without definite scientific meaning. We shall have 

 some better idea of it by describing this rock, or clay, or 

 stuff, as "mudstone." 



The great majority of our rocks may be described as 

 made up either of mud, or of sand, or of gravel, just 

 as we find on the sea-coast now either mud, or sand, 

 or gravel. At our watering places we find sand or 

 gravel, sand at New Brighton and Rhyl, and Barmouth 

 and Borth, gravel at Llandudno and Aberystwith. 

 We do not see much of mud at fashionable watering 

 places, for the simple reason that a mud coast is not very 

 agreeable. Where there are no shells or pebbles, but 

 every step you take you sink into mud, is not chosen for 

 lodging-houses and hotels. There is plenty of that des- 

 cription of coast, however, in various parts of our island, 

 on the east especially. Take the Lincolnshire coast for 

 example : from Boston northwards to Great Grimsby you 

 may at low water walk over miles and miles of mud, not 

 unlike the hardened mud we are now standing upon, which 

 was itself undoubtedly at one time a line of coast 

 either an actual sea coast, or not far removed from the 

 sea, just as in the same way our rocks of gravel called 

 "conglomerates" and our rocks of sand were also formerly 

 sea beaches. 



Let us look at this accumulation of mud a little more 

 closely, and take advantage of the cutting made in clearing 

 it away, presenting what is termed a "section." Here 

 we see actually before our eyes what we only generally 

 see and know by means of a geological section on paper. 

 What is it we see beyond the mere slice or face of mud- 



