310 SUBMARINE FOREST-BED. 



exhibited stems and branches of trees lying in all directions, 

 bedded in a solid mass of leaves, twigs and marsh plants. The 

 leaves often lay flat and fully expanded on each other as the 

 leaves of a book, and exhibited all the details of their structure. 

 When first exposed to the air the whole mass was of a deep 

 brown autumnal colour, but in a week it became as black as 

 charcoal. About 20 hazel nuts fully grown and perfect were 

 picked out from the mass ; and also 3 good specimens of beetle- 

 cases or wings, exhibiting blue and green colours of vivid 

 brightness. 



The wood, so far as I could judge, appeared to be mainly 

 Birch, Alder, Oak, and Hazel, the whole being matted together 

 by leaves and branches of trees, among which the long fibrous 

 leaves of the common marsh flag were most abundant. 



The forest-bed rested on a stratum of light blue clay inter- 

 spersed with some vegetable matter, and what appeared to be 

 the roots of trees and of the marsh flag. The clay was most 

 pure and tenaceous, and could scarcely be removed from the 

 hands by much washing. At the bottom of the bed it appeared 

 to pass into soil or subsoil with some stones and pebbles. 



Such are the main facts revealed by this exploration, and if 

 we attempt to draw inferences from them, we must not ignore 

 the consideration that this local discovery is only a very small 

 portion of an extensive submergence of coast line, and of 

 similar forest-beds to which at presont we can place, geographic- 

 ally, no limits. 



Similar submerged forest-beds have been found and explored 

 on the shore line of Devon and Cornwall, more especially at the 

 mouths and estuaries of our rivers, and in particular at the 

 following places, namely : — at Torbay, by Mr. Pengelly, F.Q-.S. 

 and Mr. Pidgeon, F.Gr.S.; at Blackpool beach, 2 miles west of 

 Dartmouth harbour, at MiUendreath near Looe, at Pridmouth 

 near Powey, and at Par, Pentewan, Mainporth, Falmouth harbour, 

 the Looe bar, Porthleven, Marazion, Newlyn ; and on our north 

 coast, at the Hayle estuary, Perranporth, St. Columb Perth, 

 Mawgan Perth, under the Doom bar Padstow harbour, and 

 more largely developed at the mouth of the Torridge and the Taw, 

 in Bideford bay; nor can we stop here, for on the whole coast 



