152 W. D. Lang—The Selbornian of Charmouth. 
from great slips and are much overgrown, forming an undercliff of 
great beauty but offering small hope of exposures. This undercliff, 
known as Fairy Dell or Cain’s Folly, is about 200 yards across at its 
widest part and some half a mile long; it rises about 100-200 feet 
from its seaward to its landward margin. It is composed (see Fig. 1) 
of the upper part of the capricornus and of the lower part of the 
margaritatus zones of the Lias and of the lowest beds of the Gault. 
The actual junction of the Gault with the Lias has not yet been found 
on Stonebarrow. The seaward margin of the undercliff tops cliffs 
about 200 feet in height of Lias clays, marls, and limestones, from the 
capricornus down to “the obtusus zone. Landwards it is backed by 
Greensand cliffs rising more than 100 feet above the Dell at their 
highest point. 
If the Dell be entered by the footpath leading to it from Charmouth 
it will be found that the path makes a steep descent of the landward 
Greensand cliff, and has fallen away before it reaches comparatively 
level ground. A few yards east of this spot a small bluff is reached, 
eastward of which the cliff trends more inland. The bluff descends 
into a small swamp, and the footpath skirts the seaward edge of this. 
The base of the landward cliff just west of the bluff shows a small 
section in the Gault. On the eastern side of the bluff, where the 
landward cliff begins to trend away from the sea, the Gault is again 
exposed, and is seen to pass upwards into Foxmould sand before the 
section is broken. 
Il. Zhe Western Gault Section. 
The western section is about 10 feet in extent. It is terminated 
above by a capping of fallen Greensand forming a small grass-covered 
flat on the general slope of the landward cliff. Two beds are to be 
recognized (see Fig. 2); the upper 7 feet are composed of bluish-black 
loamy clay containing Gault fossils of the same kinds as those found 
in Bed 3 on Black Ven, more being found at the bottom than at the 
top. This gives way below to a non-fossiliferous loamy, glauconitic 
sand, which is very soon hidden by talus. No alteration was observed 
on following it down for a foot or so by digging through the talus. 
The talus slope ends in the swampy ground already mentioned, which 
is nearly level with the footpath. The 300-feet contour-line on the 
6-inch Ordnance map comes very close to the footpath ; and since the 
descent here is very slight, cannot be more than 15 feet below it. 
Allowing about 20 feet for the talus slope and the swamp between 
this and the footpath, the base of the section would be at the height 
of about 334 feet, and the base of Bed 8 with the Gault fossils 
338 feet. — 
Ill. The Bluff between the Sections. 
The little bluff between the eastern and western sections is com- 
posed of bluish-black loam hidden under a wet matting of sandy soil 
washed down from above and bound by alge and other plants into 
a tough felt. If this is peeled off the loam can be examined ; but the 
examination proved unsatisfactory owing to the dripping state of the 
bluff and the bog at the bottom. No fossils were found in it and its 
horizon was not determined. 
