120 James Saunders — Geology of S. Bedfordshire. 



of this cutting. It comes to the surface a little north of the bridge 

 in the immediate vicinity of the lime-works, and passes downwards 

 with a gentle slope till it disappears southward at the level of 

 the line. In another section on the same horizon exposed on the 

 London and North- Western Railway between Dunstable and 

 Totternhoe Mr. Whitaker has distinguished two beds of this stone. 

 At the present time, however, there is only one that is easily visible, 

 standing out in relief from the softer beds, the other being obscured 

 by the detritus resulting from the weathering of the section. 

 The presence of this stone is somewhat of a grievance at the lime- 

 works adjoining this cutting, as it is utterly useless for lime. From 

 its arenaceous composition it crumbl'es into powder during the 

 burning, when by accident any of it is allowed to pass into the 

 kilns. In some extensive works further westward, just at the base 

 of the Totternhoe Knoll, there is a fine section of the Grey Chalk 

 which overlies the Totternhoe Stone, but during the present year 

 the stone itself can only be seen in very small sections. A few 

 years since it was well exposed in the deepest part of the works, 

 when it presented a surface of three or four feet in thickness of a 

 massive dark grey sandy limestone; at least that was the depth then 

 exposed. It is probable that during the next season a considerable 

 quantity of it will be excavated, as there are extensive orders on 

 hand for the Totternhoe Stone, which is required both in the 

 restoration of a mansion in Scotland belonging to the Marquis of 

 Bute, and also. for St. Albans Abbey. It need hardly be said that 

 this stone has been largely used in the construction of the churches 

 of this district, of which examples are furnished not only by St. 

 Albans Abbey, but also by Dunstable and Luton Churches. 

 In the latter, nearly the whole of the tower is built of alternate 

 cubes of Totternhoe Stone, and chalk-flints set in mortar, in this 

 way utilizing the materials that were most easily obtainable. This 

 was a matter of great importance in times when the only means 

 of overland transport was by bad roads, or mere tracks. 



Reverting to the sections that are exposed by the excavations 

 made for the Midland Railway, there occurs a short distance from 

 Leagrave towards Luton, a long and rather shallow cutting 

 which exposes a series of beds in the Middle Chalk. Close by 

 the railway, about a mile from Leagrave, and one and a half from 

 Luton, some lime-works have been opened, where an interesting 

 section is exposed, which descends below the level of the deepest 

 exposure in the adjoining cutting. In the Quarterly Journal of the 

 Geological Society for May, 1886, Mr. Jukes-Browne gives a 

 detailed account of the section in the lime-works, from which it 

 appears that beneath four feet of soil and thin-bedded chalk, there 

 are seven feet of Melbourne Rock, and five feet of Chalk and shaly 

 marl composing the Belemnitella plena zone, resting on fifteen feet 

 of blocky Lower Chalk. Owing to the cessation of operations at 

 this place, only a small part of the lowest bed is now visible, but the 

 whole of the details of the other portions of the section may still be 

 easily distinguished. The fossils recently obtained from these 



