﻿Horace B. Woodtvard — JVofes on the Devonian Rochs. 453 



Abbot that proved unconfoi'inability. And I could only agree with 

 Jukes that concealed disturbances and faults would account for all 

 the phenomena there to be observed.^ 



The promontory of Torquay and Babbacombe Well shows the 

 great disturbances to which the beds have been subjected. The 

 cliffs are for the most part abrupt, and they can only be studied by 

 the aid of a boat. In the quarry at Hope's Nose nearly horizontal 

 beds of limestone may be seen resting on the upturned edges of 

 similar rock, in such a manner that a first glance would seem to 

 show an undoubted case of uiiconformability. It requires, however, 

 but little examination to prove that this feature is the result of 

 a fault acting on the disturbed beds of limestone, and whose hade 

 is inclined inwards from the face of the quarry. The contortions 

 throughout the Torquay district are very great, and the faults are 

 numerous. In one instance the beds are clearly reversed, as Mr. 

 Champernowne has pointed out.^ 



At Meadfoot are beds of slate and grit which show considerable 

 metamorphism. Some of the large masses strewn along the shore 

 well exhibit the phenomena of cleavage, bedding and jointing. The 

 precise relation of these beds to the limestone is not clear owing to 

 numerous faults, but I think we have in them representatives of the 

 lower portion of the slaty series or the junction beds with the red 

 sandstone group. 



Some hard grits that occur near Christ Church, Ellacombe, and 

 near Upton Church, also north of Hope Farm, reminded me of the 

 Millstone-grit. 



These notes are scanty, but they may not be without their use. 

 A study of what has been written, and, more important still, the 

 recent field-researches of Mr. Champernowne, indicate that the facts 

 to be obtained near Newton Abbot and Torquay may be applicable 

 to the whole of South Devon ; and the structure may therefore be 

 much simpler than is generally thought, or than the observations of 

 Dr. Holl would lead us to suppose.^ 



Much has been written, and especially by Mr. Etheridge, about the 

 correlation of the beds by fossil evidence; but it is needless to observe 

 that until the sti'atigraphical relations of the beds have been worked 

 out, the organic remains cannot be taken as evidence for classifica- 

 tion. The work of Phillips, which will always be highly valued 

 for its specific identifications, contains few references to the exact 

 horizons from which the species were obtained. Much of the col- 

 lecting must therefore be done afresh, and here is plenty of work for 

 the resident geologist. We cannot have too many lists of fossils 

 recording the precise beds and localities ; for by these means only can 

 we determine the succession of life forms, and arrive at any conclu- 

 sions as to the geographical distribution of the species.* 



1 Notes on parts of S. Devon, etc., p. 7. See also Geol. Mag., Dec. II. Vol. 

 III., Oct., 1876. 2 Trans. Devon. Assoc, for 1874. 



^ Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc, vol. xxiv. p. 400. 



■* I trust that Mr. J. E. Lee may be tempted to publish, a catalogue of the 

 Devonian fossils in his collection. , 



