260 Rev. P. B. Brodie on the Geology of the 



fossils of the north with those of the south of England. The 

 building freestone is perhaps softer, as a mass, than that near 

 Stroud and Bath, while it is remarkably distinguished by its 

 waved, purple and pink colours, which give it the appearance of 

 certain portions of the new and old red sandstones, and add 

 greatly to the beauty of the material for architectural purposes. 



t'^^(nr') Uuiii 97/ Inferior Oolite. 



The Inferior Oolite takes a less regular course in its extension 

 on the north-east of the Cotswold chain of hills. It is bounded 

 on the east by the Great Oolite, and on the west by the lias ; 

 but as it has been subject to great denudation in the counties of 

 Northampton, Rutland and Lincoln, the escarpments generally 

 are less bold and rugged, and the hills comparatively low. In 

 Lincolnshire it forms a bleak, open country like the Wolds of 

 Gloucestershire, and it is well adapted for turnips. The stone 

 frequently lies close to the surface, so that the soil is very stony, 

 like the cornbrash in Wiltshire^^ and this probably is mainly 

 attributable to the amount of aqueous action to which it has 

 been subject. In parts of Rutlandshire the soil is of a deep red 

 colour (which distinguishes the upper beds in the Cotswolds), 

 and much better wooded than in the neighbourhood of Grantham ; 

 but in no case does it aiford that romantic and beautiful scenery 

 which especially characterizes the Lower Oolites in Gloucester- 

 shire. The village of Denton four miles south-west of Grant- 

 ham is certainly a pretty spot, and there the Inferior Oolite 

 bears a close lithological resemblance to a portion of the series at 

 Leckhampton, Crickley and elsewhere. The following is a sec- 

 tion (in descending order) of Green's quarry on the summit of 

 the hill :— 



ft. 



L Rubble, about 2 



. ,^ 2. Oolite marl 4 or 5. 



, , 3. Soft, shelly, white and yellow, though sometimes 

 brown oolite, not quarried deep. 



The oolite marl is nearly identical with that near Chelten- 

 ham, though rather darker in colour, and much reduced in 

 thickness. It is loaded with corals as at Crickley, many of 

 which, as far as I could judge, appear to belong to the same 

 species as those in Gloucestershire. Some parts of the bed are 

 softer and full of shells, among which I procured several species 

 of Cerithium, Nerincea, Natica, and other genera. Natica macro- 

 stoma'i is abundant, and a species of Rostellaria also occurs, though 

 rarely ; the edges of the beds have been much waterworn, pro- 

 bably by currents, and the shells are exposed in relief, and are 

 much weathered in consequence. I sent a small collection to 



