J. W. Davis— Tiie Valley of the Calder. 501 



decay of the heather produces peat, and this in most places has a 

 thickness of from six or eight to twelve feet ; below that again is 

 sandstone. You may always be sure that, wherever heather and 

 peat occur, the rock below the surface is sandstone. You will never 

 find the heather growing on a bed of limestone, or shale, or clay, 

 but always on sandstone. 



Leaving these elevated moorlands for a time, let us follow the 

 course of the river from Mytholm to Sowerby Bridge. It passes 

 amongst steep declivities of shale or more precipitous " edges " of 

 gritstone ; generally the shale slopes up to the foot of the grit, the 

 latter projecting in angular cornices above it. This is the character 

 of the scenery, not only of Calder valley, but also of the tributaries 

 ■which join it from the Eipponden and Luddenden valleys, and those 

 from Halifax on the one side, and Barkisland and Stainland on the 

 other. Below Elland, the valley, which has been hitherto very 

 narrow, assumes greater proportions, its surface being arranged in a 

 series of long level flats through which the river has cut its channel 

 with many devious turnings and windings. The valley is bounded 

 on either side by hills, which rise to a considerable height, but are 

 characterized by a more rounded outline than those nearer the source 

 of the river. The escarpments of sandstone are wanting, and though 

 the general character of the two areas is somewhat similar, there is 

 still sufficient difference to indicate to an experienced eye that they 

 are not of the same geological composition. Such is, in fact, the 

 case ; the river in its initial stages runs amongst hills of Millstone- 

 grit, whilst from Elland, downwards, its course is amongst the Coal- 

 measures. The former are characterized bj'' thick beds of sandstone, 

 which form the steep escarpments' already described ; whilst the 

 latter, composed more largely of shale with beds of coal, form 

 rounded summits only, now and then capped by a bed of flagstone. 



The country becomes flatter until Wakefield is arrived at, after 

 which the hills gradually disappear ; and, with many convolutions, 

 often turning quite round, and running a short distance backwards, 

 the river reaches Castleford and empties itself into the Aire. The 

 district about Lofthouse, Methley and Norman ton is comparatively 

 flat and tame. It is composed of the Middle Coal-measures, and 

 forms a rich agricultural district. Its greatest value is, however, 

 not on the surface, but in the mineral wealth, which lies buried 

 hundreds of feet below. The Coal-pits, which are numerous, do not 

 tend to improve the appearance of the country. 



The geological structure of the country drained by the Calder 

 next demands consideration. The whole of the rocks in this area 

 constitute a part of what is called the Carboniferous system, so 

 named from the occurrence of great quantities of coal found in 

 " beds," especially amongst the upper members of the series. The 

 strata which form the surface are comprised in descending order in 

 the vertical section following : —Middle Coal Measures, Lower Coal 

 Measures, Millstone Grits, Yoredale Kocks. The Yoredale rocks 

 occupy the bottom, and some distance up the sides, of the valley 

 at Todmorden. They consist principally of shales, with beds of 



