LIFE-ZONES IX THE BRITISH CARBONIFEROUS ROrKR. fjlo 



zonal linea have been laid down for the whole of the Carboniferous Series — 

 the Committee feel fully justified in asking for a continuance of a grant, 

 that some of the important gaps in the chain of evidence may be filled up. 



Full series of the fossils collected during the last two years have been 

 deposited, under the care of Professor Garwood, in the Geological Depart- 

 ment of University College, London. All outstanding expenses of collect- 

 ing have been liquidated, and the Committee have now only a few shillings 

 balance in hand for further work. 



In the past nearly all the collecting has been done gratuitously, 

 Messrs, Tate, 8tobbs, and Bolton liaving accepted only actual out-of-pocke.t 

 expenses ; and they thoroughly deserve the best tiianks of the Committee 

 for their eilicient services. 



Investiijatioii of the Fossiliferoics Drift Bepoaits at Kirmington, Lincoln- 

 tildre, and at varwis localities in the East Riding of Yorlcshire. — 

 Report of the Committee, consisting of Mr. G. W. Lampluoh 

 {Chairman), Mr. J. W. Stather {Secretary), Dr. Tempest Ander- 

 son, Professor J. W. Carr, Rev. W. Lower Carter, Mr. A. R. 

 Uwerryhouse, Mr. F. W. Harmer, Mr. J. H. Howarth, Rev. 

 W. Johnson, Professor P. F. Kendall, Mr. H. B. Muff, ]\Ir. 

 E. T. Newton, Mr. Clement Reid, and Mr. Thomas Sheppard. 



The Speet07i Shell-bed. — As mentioned in last year's report, this 

 fossiliferous estuarine sand was fii'st described by Professor Phillips in his 

 ' Geology of Yorkshire' (Pt. I., p. 100), and later by Mr. G. W. Lamplogh 

 in the 'Geological Magazine' for 1881 (p. 176). As the bed is almost 

 always obscured by slips, so that its relations to the drift are open to 

 (juestion, it was decided to examine its position by excavations. 



Since the presentation of the last report several excavations have been 

 made in the neighbourhood of the exposures seen by Professor Phillips and 

 Mr. Lamplugh, and your Committee report that, though the results 

 obtained are corroborative of the accounts given by the observers above 

 named, they also include certain new points of interest. 



The largest excavation was m.'ide in the ridge between Middle Cliff 

 and New Closes Cliff at Speeton, and at this place beds were exposed as 

 follows : — 



Feet inches 



(A) Boulder clay (lower part only excavated) . .4.5 



,(B) Fine chalky gravel 1 G 



Estuarine ' (C) Yellowish sandy silt with shells .... 2 



Shell- J (D) Black silt 4 



bed (E) Black silt with sandj' streaks and a little gravel . \i 



(F) Fine gravel, chiefly of chalk 4 G 



(G) Speeton clay (base of Bel. jaculnm zone Ig' and ' Com- 

 pound nodnlar band ' i', forming the upper portion of the 

 sloping cliff of Secondary clays 84 feet above beach level). 



lb will be seen from the above section that the shell-bed is here 

 17 feet 8 inches thick and its base is about 8G feet above the present 

 Ijeach. 



The gravel (F) rests on the Bel. jaculum clays, but contains some 

 material washed from the lower beds of the Speeton clay, such as frag- 

 li^ents of Bel. lateralis, &c. 



