Correspondence—Mr. J. W. Elwes. 527 
how Hordwell Church has had to be rebuilt inland, and who re- 
members how the old site of the churchyard is near the edge of 
the present cliff, will be surprised to hear that in this part the coast 
is not receding at all. 
I may perhaps be allowed to take the present opportunity of 
recording one or two new facts concerning the interesting Oligocene 
strata of the Hampshire basin. A year or two ago I discovered 
a single vertebra of a true Cetacean in these strata, and the bone 
was described by Prof. Seeley. Prof. van Beneden has now recorded 
the discovery of vertebre, similar in many respects to the British 
specimen, in strata of the same age at Helmstedt. These two 
examples are probably the oldest known non-zeuglodont Cetaceans. 
Hitherto no Bryozoa have been recorded from the British Oligocene ; 
but recently Mr. F. Chapman, one of the staff of the Geological 
Laboratory here, has found on oyster shells from Colwell Bay a 
form regarded by Mr. Vine as identical with the Membranipora 
Lacroizi, which Mr. Busk found encrusting shells from the London 
Clay. | Joon W. Jupp. 
Science Scuoot, Sour Kenstneton, 8.W. 
THE MIDDLE HEADON MARINE BED AT HORDWELL. 
Str,—Mr. H. Keeping, of Cambridge, has asked me to send an 
account to your Macazinx of some work we have been doing together 
at Hordwell Cliff, Hants; viz. the re-opening of the Middle Headon 
Marine bed. 
This. bed has not been seen in situ here for upwards of thirty 
years, it having been obscured by talus from the superincumbent 
gravel, and its exact position has been disputed. 
The earlier writers on this subject state that it underlies many 
feet of freshwater strata. This appears to be an error due to the 
fact that the bed seen by them was a slip close to the shore. Mr. 
Keeping opened the bed in its true position many years ago, and 
has now succeeded in finding it again. The spot selected by him 
for the digging is situated on the west side of a pathway down the 
cliff called “Paddy’s Gap,” about 600 steps to the east of the 
boundary bank between the Hordwell and Newlands estates, which 
is marked on the road running close to the cliff by a gate-lodge. 
A pit eight or ten feet deep having been sunk through the talus, 
the following section was obtained :— 
1. Soil, 1 foot. 
2. Gravel, 255 feet. The gravel immediately over the Tertiary 
beds is stained a very dark brown colour, with iron oxide. 
3. Whitish sand, 1 foot to 14 ft. 
4, Marine bed, 1 foot to 14 ft. Sand and comminuted shells, 
containing an abundant fauna chiefly of small and minute 
species of mollusca, estuarine and marine, including ‘such 
common and characteristic species as the following :—Visania 
labiata, Murex sex-dentatus, Cancellaria muricata, C. elongata, 
Scalaria levis, Nerita aperta, Neritina concava, Cerithium 
