585. 
A paper was afterwards read, “‘ On the occurrence of the Bristol 
Bone-Bed in the Lower Lias near Tewkesbury,” by Hugh Edwin 
Strickland, Esq., F.G.S. ; 
After alluding to the occurrence of the bone-bed at various places 
between Westbury and Watchett, also at Golden Cliff and St. Hilary 
in Glamorganshire, and at Axmouth, Mr. Strickland proceeds to 
describe its characters at three newly discovered localities, many 
miles to the north of the points previously known, namely, Coomb 
Hill, between Tewkesbury and Gloucester, Wainlode Cliff, and 
Bushley. 
1. Coomb Hill, four miles south of Tewkesbury*.—In lowering the 
road through the lias escarpment during the summer of 1841 a con- 
siderable surface of the bone-bed was exposed, and its contents were 
rescued from destruction by Mr. Dudfield of Tewkesbury. The fol- 
lowing section is given by Mr. Strickland :-— -) 
Fite) one 
eeWeell awrsclaia iia ory sta soccens wopi'e, si Scoyere ee Pea: Pee 
By Maastlimestome oy, eid vias usp iit) 6s. ae Lael at De 0 38 
She Mellow cla yin cn arissirtx, 13) jessie «S338 Seer D700 
4. Nodules:ofilias limestone io, .i0s!i is s@ccqaiaa O 6 
bp srowi Clay a) neSnbranh sold eid) ia We lacin ers porn karu aO 
6. Impure pyritic limestone with Pectens and 
small bivalves. ....4.... Shes bie ties, iii aid Oiagno 
7. Black laminated clay ........ 68 fins. « itIShe 8 5,0 
8 Hordy grey, pyritic limestone © av. ure ia oo 0 2 
9. Black Jaminatedislary,) lid leieias) aubdecne eth. «1 bh pl 
10. Greyish sandstone .........5. PSST ora Ost 
La -Blackilaminatedsclay: i}. sci. dasacigeisesa- eiih « Tig 36 
12s Bone=bed, noarstaimanonaswoiay.oud, Laue lbank Oy bd 
MBs talack:, laminateds la yay... (2/0, «fiat, crea capes 3 66 
14. Compact, angular, greenish marl,..:...... 25 0 
Mp UC OENAE | sec ca pened panics Nepaitch ncvsefahee <2 = SUG Ha gil 2614 @ 
= fe) 
Dip about 12° east. 64.8 
The bone-bed, No. 12, rarely exceeds one inch in thickness, and 
frequently thins out to less than a quarter of an inch. It consists in 
some places chiefly of scales, teeth and bones of fishes, and small 
coprolites cemented by iron pyrites, but in others the organic re- 
mains are rare, and are replaced by a whitish micaceous sandstone. 
The osseous fragments,, Mr. Strickland states, have the appearance 
of having been washed into the hollows of a rippled surface of clay, 
and of having been subjected to slight mechanical action. The ex- 
istence of gentle currents is further proved, he says, by the presence 
of small rounded pebbles of white quartz, a substance of very rare 
occurrence in the liassic series. The only shell found in the bed at 
* Mr. Murchison has noticed the section formerly exposed in this 
escarpment, but at the time he examined the district, Mr. Strickland says, 
the banks were obscured by debris, and the bone-bed did not attract his 
attention. See Mr. Murchison’s Account of the Geology of Cheltenham, 
p: 24, plate, fig. 1, and Silurian System, pp. 20, 29, pl. 29, fig. 1. 
