52 The L evens hulme Limestones. 



teresting, being much mottled in large blue and pink patches 

 and teeming with organic remains. True fossil shells and 

 bones occur in these limestones, and the microscopic view 

 is crowded with small bone fragments, mixed up with 

 Eiitomostraca. 



The 7th group marbles have a dark purple colour, 

 veined with black, yellow, and red. They are thickly 

 spotted with Spirorbis, and under the microscope are 

 crowded with bi-valve shells in true positions — there are also 

 many of the tubular organism — the ^in. power showing 

 clearly the jointings and the central tube. A small 

 shell with spiral centre occurs in this slide. The last 

 group (No. 8) limestones are by far the most beautiful 

 objects as marbles, the colour being of a lovely deep pink- 

 grey, mottled with paler pink spots, and the polish is perfect. 

 No microscopic slide has been prepared from this group, 

 but one is in hand. The Spirorbis is present here, as it was 

 in the first bed, and no doubt the Entomostraca will abound, 

 as indicated by the mottling. 



It will thus be seen that the microscope reveals to us the 

 exact formation of these limestones, and that they abound 

 in objects of extraordinary interest, in great profusion. The 

 fact that chalk was made up of animal remains used to be 

 cited as wonderful, but the variety and beauty of the 

 organisms of which these Levenshulme limestones are made 

 up are far more wonderful, and they open out a new field 

 of research to^the naturalist. The subject of their geological 

 position, and all the details of the section which contains 

 them, will shortly be laid before the Society by Mr. de Ranee 

 and myself 



