Rev. P. B. BrocUe — Lower Greensand and Purhech Beds. 455 



Doubtful Earthquake. 



Jan. 6, between lli. and 2h., Tnlliallan (south of Perthshire). 



The following account is taken from a paragraph in the "Perth- 

 shire Advertiser" for Jan. 8. "Between one and two o'clock .... 

 what is believed to have been an earthquake shock was distinctly 

 felt in the parish of Tulliallan. The night was extremely stormy, 

 with thunder and heavy sleet showers. But readily distinguishable 

 from the sound either of the wind or of the thunder there arose 

 a roaring noise like that of an express train passing at full speed, 

 accompanied by a trembling sensation of the ground, such as 

 Londoners who dwell near the Underground Railway are accustomed 

 to. The noise seemed to increase in intensity as it approached, and 

 then died away again in the distance, just as that of a passing train 

 would have done. There is no railway within several miles." 



This is the only account I have been able to obtain. From the 

 description, it is obvious that the shock closely resembled that of an 

 earthquake, but, considering the circumstances of its occurrence, the 

 evidence is not sufficient in itself to establish its seismic origin. 



IV. — Lower Greensand and Purbecks in the Vale op 



Wardour, Wilts. 



By the Eev. P. B. Brodie, M.A., F.G.S. 



IN the Geological Magazine for July last the Eev. W. Andrews 

 and Mr. Jukes-Browne gave an account of Lower Cretaceous 

 strata in the Vale of Wardour. I can bear testimony to the correct- 

 ness of this statement. Many years ago, when geologizing in the 

 vale chiefly among the Purbecks, I found many portions of iron- 

 stone and hard ferruginous sandstone, in the fields and by the road- 

 side both at Dinton, Teffont and especially at Chilmark, containing 

 casts of Cyrena, Turritella, and a part of a dermal scute of a Saurian, 

 which I believe belong to the Lower Greensand, but I never saw it 

 in situ, and it seems to have been gi-eatly denuded. A few years 

 ago, after an absence of nearly fifty years, I paid another visit to 

 some of my old haunts in this beautiful district, in company with 

 Mr. Andrews, who was anxious to find out the exact spot where I 

 obtained insects, fish and Archceoniscus ; but after a careful search no 

 trace of the old quarry could be seen, and the place was filled up 

 and overgrown with bushes. In no other locality in the Vale has 

 a similar limestone been found, though Archceoniscus and a few 

 remains of insects occur lower down in the Middle Purbecks at the 

 lime quarry above Teffont Eectory, where Mr. Andrews has obtained 

 several new and interesting fish,' plants, and other organisms. At 

 Dinton the insects were fairly abundant, and Archaoniscus especially 



^ Among these fish is Coccolepis Anclrewsii, A. S. Woodw., which is allied to 

 Falceoniscus, and is now in the Jermyn Street Museum. Mr. Smith Woodward 

 lately showed me another remarkable small fish sent to him by Mr. Andrews from 

 Teffont, which the former will shortly figure and describe. These, added to the 

 others long ago figured and described from Dinton, make a most interesting list of 

 new forms from the Wiltshire Purbecks. The other genera from Teffont include 

 FieurophoHs, Microdon, showing the teeth in situ, and Lepidotus minor. 



