﻿V°l- 
  53-] 
  THE 
  CRETACEOUS 
  STRATA 
  OF 
  COUNTY 
  ANTRIM. 
  545 
  

  

  appears 
  to 
  have 
  formed 
  a 
  prominent 
  peninsula 
  or 
  island 
  during 
  the 
  

   major 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Cretaceous 
  period. 
  The 
  Chalk 
  strata 
  connected 
  

   with 
  this 
  peninsular 
  or 
  insular 
  region 
  will 
  be 
  dealt 
  with 
  under 
  the 
  

   Peninsular 
  Division. 
  

  

  5. 
  Finally, 
  a 
  Northern 
  Division 
  will 
  include 
  the 
  Cretaceous 
  

   strata 
  which 
  are 
  developed 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  and 
  north-eastern 
  coast 
  

   of 
  Co. 
  Antrim, 
  extending 
  from 
  west 
  of 
  Portrush 
  to 
  Ballycastle. 
  

  

  (1) 
  The 
  Southern 
  Division. 
  

   From 
  Magheralin 
  to 
  Kilcorig. 
  

  

  The 
  White 
  Limestone 
  is 
  exposed 
  in 
  numerous 
  quarries 
  and 
  may 
  

   be 
  well 
  studied 
  at 
  Magheralin, 
  at 
  Soldierstown, 
  near 
  Moira, 
  and 
  at 
  

   Kilcorig, 
  near 
  Brookmount. 
  It 
  consists 
  of 
  a 
  compact 
  hard 
  chalk, 
  in 
  

   which 
  flattened 
  flints 
  are 
  arranged 
  in 
  regular 
  layers, 
  generally 
  

   separated 
  by 
  intervals 
  of 
  4 
  to 
  5 
  feet. 
  At 
  Soldierstown, 
  in 
  the 
  

   quarry 
  situated 
  farthest 
  from 
  the 
  road, 
  occurs 
  a 
  very 
  fine 
  example 
  

   of 
  the 
  ' 
  paramoudras 
  ' 
  of 
  Buckland. 
  At 
  this 
  locality 
  five 
  of 
  these 
  

   barrel-shaped 
  or 
  pear-shaped 
  potstones, 
  about 
  18 
  inches 
  in 
  height 
  

   and 
  a 
  foot 
  in 
  diameter, 
  form 
  a 
  vertical 
  series, 
  the 
  lowest 
  rising 
  

   from 
  a 
  bed 
  of 
  flint 
  below, 
  while 
  the 
  highest 
  is 
  cut 
  off 
  at 
  the 
  next 
  

   succeeding 
  flint-layer. 
  They 
  are 
  pierced 
  from 
  end 
  to 
  end 
  by 
  a 
  

   broad 
  tubular 
  canal, 
  which 
  has 
  subsequently 
  become 
  filled 
  with 
  

   calcareous 
  sediment. 
  It 
  was 
  in 
  this 
  district 
  that 
  Buckland 
  first 
  

   met 
  with 
  these 
  remarkable 
  bodies, 
  which 
  Sollas 
  regards 
  as 
  the 
  

   Cretaceous 
  representatives 
  of 
  the 
  recent 
  sponge 
  Poterion 
  jpatera, 
  

   Hardwicke, 
  and 
  has 
  consequently 
  named 
  them 
  P. 
  cretaceum} 
  The 
  

   skeleton 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  consisted 
  of 
  pin-headed 
  spicules. 
  

  

  A 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  limestone 
  from 
  Magheralin 
  shows 
  it 
  to 
  consist 
  

   of 
  a 
  calcareous 
  paste, 
  enclosing 
  numerous 
  examples 
  of 
  multilocular 
  

   foraminifera, 
  among 
  which 
  Globigerina, 
  Textularia, 
  Bolivina, 
  a 
  

   Marginnline 
  form, 
  and 
  polyzoa 
  may 
  be 
  recognized. 
  

  

  The 
  fauna 
  of 
  the 
  Chalk 
  in 
  this 
  district 
  varies 
  in 
  but 
  slight 
  degree, 
  

   and 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  general 
  character, 
  the 
  principal 
  species 
  observed 
  by 
  

   me 
  being, 
  in 
  order 
  of 
  importance 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Belemnitella 
  mucronata, 
  Schloth. 
  

  

  Bhynchonella 
  plicatilis, 
  var. 
  octoplicata, 
  Sow. 
  

  

  Terebratula 
  camea, 
  Sow. 
  

  

  Echinocorys 
  scutatus, 
  Leske. 
  

  

  Ostrea 
  verticularis, 
  Lara. 
  

  

  Cidaris 
  (probably 
  C. 
  sceptrifera, 
  Mant, 
  | 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  Inoceramus 
  (in 
  fragments). 
  J 
  limestone 
  especially. 
  

  

  Polyzoa 
  ; 
  Onychocella 
  sp. 
  

  

  The 
  Flinty 
  Flag 
  of 
  Kilcorig, 
  15 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Chalk, 
  

   which 
  is 
  described 
  by 
  Tate 
  as 
  a 
  ' 
  highly 
  splintery 
  limestone, 
  

   irregularly 
  crowded 
  with 
  flints, 
  its 
  upper 
  surface 
  covered 
  with 
  

   branching 
  sponge-remains 
  embedded 
  in 
  a 
  glauconitic 
  paste,' 
  2 
  is 
  

   unfortunately 
  no 
  longer 
  visible, 
  and 
  in 
  consequence 
  we 
  were 
  not 
  

  

  1 
  Ann. 
  & 
  Mag. 
  Nat. 
  Hist 
  ser. 
  5, 
  vol. 
  vi. 
  (1880) 
  p. 
  441. 
  

  

  2 
  Quart. 
  Journ. 
  Geol. 
  Soc. 
  vol. 
  xxi. 
  (1865) 
  p. 
  26. 
  

  

  Q. 
  J. 
  G. 
  S. 
  No. 
  212. 
  2 
  o 
  

  

  