176 O. W. Lamplugh — The Shell-bed at Speefon. 



fragments in unusual abundance ^ immediately over the sands. These 

 are 10 feet thick ; ^ they are traced downwards to within 8 feet of 

 the Kimmeridge Clay ; but this junction has not been actually seen, 

 and it is supposed that a small iDand of drift-clay may underlie the 

 shells. It is obviously a portion of the old sea-bed, and may be 

 compared to the so-called Crag at Bridlington and the shell-bed 

 found by Sir C. Lyell at the base of Dimlington Cliff. 

 (Here follows a rough sketch of the bed.) 

 " About forty years since, Mr. Bean showed me some of these 

 shells, and I was struck by the resemblance to Crag, both of the 

 shells and the yellow sandy matrix ; but my friend, supposing them 

 to haA^e been collected by birds, ^ did not inform me of the locality, 

 and appears not to have made further research. This is, I believe, 

 the only notice which has been published, though soon after my 

 examination in 1855 a communication on the subject was made to the 

 Ashmolean Society at Oxford. Though, as I believe, only one bed 

 of these shells occurs, the slij)ping of the cliffs has made a kind of 

 double escarpment, so that when first seen in 1855, there was a 

 large exposure ; and but for other occupations, measures would have 

 been taken to excavate largely, and obtain a more complete descrip- 

 tion of the deposit." 



To those acquainted with these cliffs or with Prof. Judd's paj^er 

 on the " Speeton Clay," it may assist the above account of the 

 position of the bed, as the contorted pebble beds (Portlandian) are 

 never now seen, to add that this exposure is on the I'idge which 

 divides "Middle Cliff" from "New Closes Cliff," on which, when 

 seen in profile, the slip mentioned by Prof. Phillips makes a well- 

 marked terrace.* 



When I first examined it two years ago, I soon saw that there 

 was a much better exposure than in Prof. Phillips' time, the slip 

 which causes it having gradually sunk to a lower level, thus baring 

 a greater thickness of the sand, which is also seen to change its 

 character in its lower part, and to contain three or four species of 

 shells which are absent from the upper part of the bed. In fact, so 

 low had the terrace sunk, that I was able with the help of a spade 

 to demonstrate the non-existence of the supposed underlying band 

 of Boulder-clay. At the time of writing the slip shows signs of a 

 general break-up ; so that, unless a fresh mass come down from 

 above, we may hope shortly to have a perfectly clear section down 

 to the Neocomian. 



' This was probably really the cbalky gravel presently to be described as capping 

 the bed, with a masking of Boulder-clay. 



2 I found them to be 14 feet. 



' A source of much trouble in collecting from the drifts on the coast ; for the sea- 

 bii'ds carry molluscs into the cliffs to break and eat, and the fragments get washed 

 into the clays and gravels. 



^ Any one looking for this bed might find it difficult to hit upon, owing to the 

 before-mentioned masking by Boulder-clay washed from above, so that it exactly 

 resembles Boulder- clay itself. Until its position was pointed out to me by F. A. 

 Bedwell, Esq., of this town, who had re-discovered it, I was unable to find it from 

 this reason. 



