H. E. Quitter — The Lower Lias of Leicestershire. 59 



lithological character and fossils it is exactly like the Marl of West 

 Dereham, but the Coprolite Bed, though searched for, could not be 

 found. Only one section, in a deep ditch, could be examined ; but 

 the width of the outcrop shows that the Marl cannot be much less 

 than 20 feet in thickness, though apparently thinner than at West 

 Dereham. 



IV. — The Lower Lias op Leicestershire. 

 By H. E. Quilter. 



THE Lower Lias in Leicestershire commences with clays and 

 limestones (Strensham Series), succeeded by clays and shales. 

 In its palaaontological characters, as well as in its petrological 

 features, it agrees in the main with the Lias of contiguous districts. 



The following life-zones are apparently represented, viz. zones 

 of Ammonites planorbis, angulatus, BucMandi, semicostatus, oxynotus, 

 armatus, Jamesoni and capricornus. 



The junction of the Rheetic beds and the Lower Lias may be seen 

 at Wigston, near Leicester ; this section has been fully described. 1 

 In the clay-pits at this place may be seen, resting upon Ehsetic 

 shales, about 9 feet of limestones and shales, containing a Liassic 

 fauna. 



A boring for Coal in 1883 at Crown Hill, near Leicester, after 

 passing through Lower Lias limestones and shales, penetrated 26 ft. 

 of Rhsetic shales before reaching the Keuper. 



Nowhere in the county, so far as I am at present aware, is the 

 true relationship between the Lower and Middle Lias clays shown. 

 The palEeontological evidence of other exposures, however, favours the 

 view adopted by the Geological Survey, 2 that the uppermost beds of 

 the Lower Lias are those of the zone of Am. capricornus? 



Zone of A. planorbis. 

 The limestones and clays of this zone (the Fish, Insect, and 

 Reptilian beds) are well exposed at Barrow-on-Soar, where they are 

 shown to a thickness of 25 feet. The 9 feet of limestone and shales 

 resting upon Bheetics at Wigston are the lowest portion of this 

 zone. 



(?) Zone of A. angulatus. 



A bed of pyritous shale, nearly 18 feet thick, containing 2Eg. 

 catenatum, overlying the beds of the Planorbis zone at Barrow-on- 

 Soar, has been referred to as the representative of the zone of 

 A. angulatus. The railway cutting on the Uppingham Road, near 

 Leicester, exposed about 12 feet of blue pyritous shale, also con- 

 taining 2Eg. catenatum. 



Three or four feet of blue clays exposed in brickyards at Bottes- 

 ford are supposed to belong to this zone. With this exception, 

 there does not appear to be any exposure of the beds of this zone. 

 The position of the thick pyritous clays will be referred to in 

 general conclusions. 



1 Geol. Mag. Sept. 1884, p. 415. 



2 Mem. Geol. Survey. Geol. of Rutland, etc. J. "W. Judd. 



3 This Ammonite was formerly considered to mark the Middle Lias (but see p. 86). 



