ON THE SHELL-BEARING DEPOSITS AT CLAVA, AND OTHER PLACES. 309 



shell-clay occupied a kind of basin in the lower till, the section being the 

 following : — ■ 



Ft. in. 

 ' 1. Clay (supposed to be true boulder-clay) . . . 1-t 



2. Clay, finer, containing smaller stones, with TclUna 



calcarea, Cyprhia Idandica, and a large Balamis, 



in the deepest part, but gradually thinning out . 2 1 



3. Boulder-clay resting on carbonit'erous beds . . — 



* With great kindness, Mr. Russell sank a fresh well seven yards from 

 the old one, and the following section was exposed : 



Ft. in. 

 ' 1. Surface soil 10 



2. Upper cLvy ..58 



3. Boulder-clay not pierced through .... 9 G 



' There were decided distinctions between the upper and lower clays. 

 - . . The upper clay was looser and more easily worked than the lower. 

 . . . The junction between the two clays was recognised by Mr. Russell 

 as the exact position at which he had found the original shell-bed.' 



Dr. Crosskey added : — 'There is no evidence whatever that the Chapel - 

 hall fossils were in the boulder-clay, in any sense which would make that 

 clay a marine formation.' 



From the foregoing quotations it is apparent that the references made 

 by Mr. Smith, Sir A. Geikie, and Dr. Crosskey, to the occurrence of 

 shelly clay in the Chapelhall well section, rested solely on the statements 

 of Mr. James Russell. 



With the view of obtaining further information the Committee re- 

 solved to re-examine the well section and to put down a series of trial 

 bores. 



ir. Examination by the Committee. 

 1. The Well Section. 



Mr. James Russell, the original authority regarding this shelly clay at 

 Chapelhall, died about fourteen years ago. The cottage which he built 

 and occupied, and in the garden of which the ' well ' is situated, stands at 

 the west end of Chapelhall, and somewhat higher than the village, near 

 the summit, as has been said, of the ridge on which the village is built. 

 It is called 'Wanlock Cottage,' and is now occupied by Mr. James 

 Lindsay, a mining foreman, who purchased it several years ago from 

 Mr. Russell's son. 



Mr. Lindsay, having been informed of the object of the proposed 

 examination by the Committee, kindly agreed to afford every facility for 

 the work and assist it by every means in his power. 



An arrangement was accordingly made that the well should be 

 emptied and the stone-work removed, so as to expose the section all 

 round to a depth of at least 15 or 16 feet. 



Mr. Robert Dunlop, of Whiterigg, Aii-drie, obligingly assisted Mr. 

 Lindsay in the operations, and the Secretary of the Committee repeatedly 

 visited the spot during their progress. 



On Saturday, March 24 last, the section being then exposed to a 

 depth of fully 15 feet from the surface, the Chairman, Mr. Home, met 



