20 Kennard 8f Warren — Blown Sands, etc., Toivan Head. 



with a smaller number of marine forms, including a layer of MyttU 

 about the middle of the bed. This was erroneously referred to the 

 Pleistocene Eaised Beach in a former paper. ' 



The level of the Pleistocene Raised Beach varies somewhat, 

 according to its thickness, and the irregularity of the rock surface 

 on which it rests ; but its base is generally at from two to ten feet 

 above high-water mark. The shelly sand at the quarry, on the 

 other hand, caps the top of a cliff about thirty feet or more in 

 height. And, what is even more conclusive, it is a part of the 

 superficial blown sands of the headland which overlie the Head, 

 whereas the Pleistocene blown sands always underlie the Head. 

 The general character of the deposit is that of the Holocene, and 

 not that of the Pleistocene sands. And, as will be seen in the 

 sequel, various remains of human occupation, such as pottery and 

 kitchen-middens, are found in the same beds. 



The layers of Mytili and occasionally other marine shells, which 

 appear, at first sight, to indicate a salt-water origin, such as a lagoon 

 (as suggested in the paper referred to), may be seen to be quite 

 characteristic of the blown sands. They occur, not only in the cliff 

 sections at Towan Head, but further inland, and at greater elevations 

 above the sea, and in the most unquestionable dunes of blown sand, 

 full of land shells. This occurrence of layers of marine shells 

 (Mytili, etc.), often fragmentary, but sometimes perfect, in dunes 

 of blown sand, is a well-known phenomenon of wind transport, and 

 has been noticed by previous observers. 



It seems possible', especially in view of the kitchen-midden 

 presently to be described, that many of the marine shells from these 

 sands, other than the layers of Mytili — shells which the wind could 

 not so easily move — were carried up from the beach by man and 

 dropped on the then surface of the ground. 



The Table of Fauna. 



In the accompanying Table the number of individuals of each 

 species actually collected and determined is given in order to show 

 their relative abundance in each bed dealt with. It must be stated, 

 however, that in several cases the commonest foruis were not all 

 collected. This was especially the case with Mytilus edulis, which 

 is far more abundant relatively to the other marine forms than 

 appears in the table. The beds in which the mollusca were found 

 are described under the details of the sections. They are placed 

 in the table, as far as possible, in the order of their stratigraphical 

 succession, though the letters over the columns run in the order in 

 which they are described. 



It will be noticed that we have divided the mollusca into four 

 groups : Marine, Woodland, Sand Dune, and a group which inhabits 

 both the last situations. The marine shells, as already suggested, 

 no doubt owe their occurrence either to the wind, the hand of man, 

 or perhaps the gulls. The term woodland, which is applied to the 



1 A. Santer Kenuard & B. B. Woodward: Proc. Geol. Assoc, 1901, vol. xvii, 

 p. 247. 



