Yol, 55.] GEOLOGY or THE GEEAT CEN-TRAL RAILWAY. 



73 



in fig. 2, p. 70 : that is, from about 53 miles 72 chains to 54 miles 

 15 chains. There is a considerable difference between this zone 

 and those below. The clay is less homogeneous, and weathers to a 

 lighter colour ; nodules are smaller and more numerous, and almost 

 always of a reddish hue when they contain a fossil ; in other cases 

 they may be of the normal colour of the unweathered clay, though 

 when broken across they are generally seen to have a peculiar con- 

 centric colouring. Iron-pyrites is also very common, in small moss- 

 like masses. 



Ammonites are abundant, but the great majority are small, and 

 partially enclosed in nodules, only the outer rim, or a part of it, 

 being seen ; and, where not yellow from a coating of iron -pyrites, 

 the specimens are reddened by its oxidation. 



Among other characteristic fossils I obtained ; — Ammonites sub- 

 planicosta, Oppel (A. carusensis, d'Orb.) ; A. densinodus, Quenst. 

 (there may be several species or varieties here); A. muticus, d'Orb.; 

 A. suhmuticus, Oppel ; A. Guihcdianus, d'Orb. ; A. spirafissimus, 

 Quenst. ; Pantacrinus tuberculatus, Mill, (very abundant) ; and Moat 

 livaltia rugosa, Wright. 



(/) Beds between the armatus- and Jamesoni-zones 



(figs. 3-5, pp. 72, 74, & 76). 



About 2 miles south of the Hillmorton cutting, a little north of 

 Willoughby, and extending for about 70 chains (56 miles 20 chains 

 to 57 miles 10 chains) are some cuttings through a grey marly 

 clay. The chief cutting is about 20 feet deep in its deepest part, 

 at 56 miles 40 chains, and this is the only exposure that I have 

 found to yield any fossils. 



The clay itself is extremely irregular in constitution and colour ; 

 it is greenish in places, and very ferruginous in layers, more espe- 

 cially the lower part ; also it contains many hard argillo-calcareous 

 nodules of very irregular or even fantastic shapes, quite different 

 from such as are found in other parts of the Lower Lias of the 

 neighbourhood. A few reddish ferruginous nodules of more regular 

 form showed concretionary structure. The larger fossils were all 

 yellowish, and in this respect readily distinguishable from those 

 found in most of the other cuttings along the railway. 



So far as I know, these beds have yielded no ammonite what- 

 ever, and there are no other distinctive fossils in them. Never- 

 theless, there is scarcely a doubt that they lie between the true 

 armatus- and Jamesoni-heds of the district ; hence they are placed 

 here by themselves. 



The fossils found were : — 



Belemnites sp. 



Vecten sp. (H. B. W.)' 



Gryphcsa cymhium, Lara. 



Gr. cymhium, var. depressa, Phil, 



Leda subovalis, Goldf. 



Plicatula spinosa, Sow. (H. B. W.) 



Flwladomya amhigua , Sow. (common). 

 Rhynchonella sp. (H. B. W.) 

 Waldhcimia mcmismalis, Lam. 

 MontUvaltia mncronata, Dune. 

 Coral ? (A rather large sprjadiug 

 form.) 



1 These initials indicate the fossils recorded from this locality by Mr. H. B. 

 Woodward, Geol. Mag. 1897, p. 97. 



