ON THE ERRATIC BLOCKS OF ENGLAND, WALES, AND IRELAND. 113 



feet above the sea- level, and is at the boundary of the parishes of Ingersby 

 and Thurnby. It is connected with the Winkerdale Hill drift, and lies 

 on deep sand. • 



Note on the New Ingersby Boulder. — This large ' erratic " undoubtedly 

 stands at the boundary of two parishes, but I am inclined to think it is a 

 mere accident ; the stone has never been moved by man, but I'emains in 

 the position it must have been originally left. It may at first have 

 been buried deeply in the drift sand, as it lies in a hollow, and has been 

 gradually uncovered by the washing away of this drift sand by the rain 

 during past ages. On comparing it with specimens of ' Bunter Con- 

 glomerate ' (obtained from this formation in situ), I have come to the 

 conclusion that it probably belongs to that formation. The nearest point 

 where this formation occurs is on the south side of the Ashby coalfield, 

 distant about 25 miles, btit from its coarse nature and the large-sized 

 pebbles, I am inclined to think it must have come from ' Barr Beacon ' or 

 ' Cannock Chase.' It is in connection with gi'eat drift deposits which 

 really form the ridges and hills of the surrounding district, which deposits 

 we now know (from the cuttings of the Great Northern Railway, now in 

 progress) to be upwards of 30 feet thick. It is quite possible (although 

 its extreme hardness is against the idea) that this large block is a mass 

 of very coarse 'pebbly drift' (some of the 'pebbles' are sub-angular), 

 cemented by carbonate of lime and oxide of iron, and it may have been 

 brought by ice from the N.W. side of the country, where beds of con- 

 solidated ' pebbly drift ' of similar composition are known to exist. This 

 source -would be about 15 miles due N.W. The erratic is quite distinct 

 in composition from the sandy clays and gravels that lie ai-ound for many 

 miles. 



(B.) Groups of Boulders. 



On the estate of Sir A. B. C. Dixie, in the vicinity of the village of 

 Market Bosworth, are eleven blocks, varying from rough cubes of 4 feet to 

 1 foot, the largest being about 4x3x2 feet. 



They are rounded, angular, and subangular. 



Some of the group may have been removed from adjacent fields. 

 They are composed of syenites and ashy agglomerates from Bardon Hill, 

 Markfield, Clift Hill, and Groby, 7 to 8 miles distant. They are about 

 400 feet above the sea- level, and rest on the surface adjacent to drift beds. 



In the village of Carlton are eight blocks of the same character, 420 feet 

 above the sea-level. They do not appear to have been moved, but are 

 scattered up and down the village. 



In digging out a sewer in Victoria Road, Leicester, ten blocks were 

 found together, 8 feet below the surface. They were rough cubes of 2 

 feet to 1 foot, sub-angular and angular ; and composed of granite, syenite, 

 mountain limestone, and chert, from Mount Sorrel 6 miles N., Breedon 

 Hill 15 miles N.W., Matlock 30 miles KW. 



They -were 290 feet above the sea-level. 



In Rutland Street, Leicester, two boulders were found in making a 

 sewer in boulder clay. Dimensions, 4x2x3 feet and 3 ft. x 1 ft. 10 in. 

 X 1 ft. 3 in. They were sharply angular, composed of the granite of 

 Mount Sorrel, 6 miles N., 212 feet above the sea-level. 



In a railway cutting near Countesthorp, Leicester, a group of boulders 

 was found under a deep deposit of coarse gravel. The lai'gest was 2 ft. 6 in. 

 x 2 ft; the smallest about half that size. They were rounded. Three 

 1880. I 



