﻿READE 
  DRIFT-BEDS 
  OF 
  THE 
  NORTH-WEST 
  OF 
  ENGLAND. 
  27 
  

  

  6. 
  The 
  Drift-beds 
  of 
  the 
  North- 
  West 
  of 
  England. 
  — 
  Part 
  I. 
  Shells 
  

   of 
  the 
  Lancashire 
  and 
  Cheshire 
  Low-level 
  Boulder-clay 
  and 
  

   Sands. 
  By 
  T. 
  Mellard 
  Eeade, 
  Esq., 
  C.E., 
  F.G.S. 
  (Bead 
  

   November 
  19, 
  1873.) 
  

  

  Contents. 
  

  

  1. 
  Introduction 
  and 
  Explanatory 
  Section. 
  

  

  2. 
  Description 
  of 
  Localities. 
  

  

  3. 
  Mode 
  of 
  Occurrence 
  and 
  Condition 
  of 
  the 
  Shells, 
  constitution 
  of 
  the 
  Beds, 
  

   and 
  general 
  inferences 
  therefrom. 
  

  

  4. 
  Analysis 
  of 
  the 
  list 
  of 
  Shells 
  and 
  comparison 
  with 
  the 
  present 
  Molluscous 
  

   Fauna 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  seas. 
  

  

  5. 
  Position 
  of 
  the 
  Low-level 
  Boulder-clays 
  and 
  sands 
  in 
  the 
  Glacial 
  series. 
  

  

  1. 
  Introduction. 
  

  

  Before 
  treating 
  of 
  the 
  stratigraphical 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  Low-level 
  

   Boulder-clay 
  and 
  sands 
  of 
  Lancashire 
  and 
  Cheshire 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  

   shell-fragments 
  occur, 
  I 
  have 
  thought 
  it 
  better 
  to 
  discuss 
  first, 
  by 
  

   the 
  light 
  of 
  the 
  fragments 
  themselves, 
  the 
  geographical 
  distribution 
  

   of 
  the 
  species 
  represented, 
  their 
  mode 
  of 
  occurrence 
  and 
  condition, 
  

   and 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  matrix 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  found 
  — 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   problems 
  involved 
  in 
  an 
  accurate 
  interpretation 
  of 
  the 
  glacial-marine 
  

   phenomena 
  of 
  the 
  drift 
  of 
  the 
  north-west 
  of 
  England. 
  

  

  To 
  enable 
  you 
  to 
  understand 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  drift 
  from 
  which 
  

   the 
  shells 
  were 
  taken, 
  I 
  exhibit 
  a 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  Bootle 
  Lane 
  Station 
  

   cutting 
  (fig. 
  1), 
  in 
  which 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  seen 
  about 
  .Liverpool 
  are 
  

   typically 
  represented. 
  The 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  shells 
  have 
  been 
  derived 
  

   from 
  clay 
  answering 
  more 
  nearly 
  to 
  No. 
  7 
  than 
  to 
  the 
  others. 
  No 
  

   distinction, 
  however, 
  can 
  be 
  made 
  on 
  palaeontological 
  grounds 
  between 
  

   any 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  beds, 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  reason 
  to 
  think 
  are 
  only 
  local 
  

   developments 
  of 
  one 
  system. 
  The 
  beds 
  are 
  as 
  follows, 
  in 
  ascending 
  

   order 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  1. 
  Pebble-beds 
  of 
  the 
  Trias 
  {Bunter). 
  

  

  2. 
  Shattered 
  rock. 
  

  

  3. 
  Bed 
  Sand, 
  with 
  tightly 
  compacted 
  rubble 
  and 
  debris 
  of 
  the 
  

   Trias. 
  (Ground-moraine 
  equivalent 
  of 
  the 
  Scotch 
  till.) 
  

  

  4. 
  Lowest 
  bed 
  of 
  Boulder-clay 
  (unstratified); 
  largely 
  composed 
  of 
  

   the 
  red 
  sand, 
  containing 
  rounded 
  and 
  subangular 
  pebbles 
  and 
  boulders, 
  

   mostly 
  striated, 
  of 
  mountain-limestone, 
  granite, 
  syenite, 
  Silurian 
  

   grits, 
  traps, 
  and 
  decomposed 
  greenstone, 
  &c. 
  Also 
  shell-fragments, 
  

   as 
  shown 
  on 
  the 
  list 
  and 
  marked 
  (Lower 
  Clay), 
  apparently 
  quietly 
  

   deposited 
  on 
  the 
  red 
  sand. 
  A 
  few 
  boulders 
  rest 
  on 
  the 
  red 
  sand. 
  

  

  5. 
  Stratified 
  sand 
  and 
  shell-fragments. 
  This 
  bed 
  splits 
  in 
  two 
  and 
  

   is 
  separated 
  by 
  the 
  Lower 
  Clay 
  under 
  the 
  bridge 
  to 
  the 
  S.W., 
  the 
  

   Lower 
  Clay 
  here 
  resting 
  upon 
  yellow 
  sand 
  (rock 
  debris). 
  At 
  the 
  

   N.E. 
  end, 
  at 
  a, 
  it 
  is 
  divided 
  by 
  a 
  bed 
  or 
  tongue 
  of 
  the 
  Lower 
  Clay. 
  

   At 
  g 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  bed 
  of 
  shingle, 
  situated 
  at 
  the 
  thinning 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  

   Lower 
  Clay. 
  

  

  