﻿1ECEENBY 
  OOLITIC 
  PLANTS. 
  75 
  

  

  out 
  its 
  entire 
  course, 
  both 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  Scar- 
  

   borough, 
  on 
  the 
  coast, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  interior, 
  it 
  is 
  uniformly 
  based 
  upon 
  

   a 
  bed 
  of 
  freestone 
  (No. 
  11, 
  Dr. 
  Wright's 
  memoir, 
  p. 
  30). 
  Wherever 
  

   the 
  " 
  Grey 
  Limestone 
  " 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  Yorkshire, 
  this 
  bed, 
  well 
  known 
  

   to 
  local 
  geologists, 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  immediate 
  underlying 
  contact, 
  

   and 
  all 
  the 
  fossil 
  Plants 
  of 
  Gristhorpe 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  bed 
  many 
  feet 
  

   below 
  it. 
  

  

  Thus 
  it 
  follows 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  Plants 
  hitherto 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  " 
  Upper 
  

   Sandstone, 
  Shale, 
  and 
  Coal," 
  and 
  figured 
  in 
  plates 
  7 
  & 
  8 
  of 
  the 
  ' 
  Illus- 
  

   trations 
  of 
  the 
  Geology 
  of 
  Yorkshire,' 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  " 
  Lower 
  Sand- 
  

   stones 
  and 
  Shales." 
  They 
  occupy 
  at 
  Gristhorpe 
  the 
  same 
  zone 
  as 
  at 
  

   Cloughton 
  Wyke, 
  and 
  the 
  Table 
  on 
  p. 
  76 
  shows 
  how 
  little 
  difference 
  

   really 
  exists 
  in 
  the 
  respective 
  floras 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  localities. 
  

  

  I 
  believe 
  the 
  error 
  to 
  have 
  originated 
  in 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  the 
  thin, 
  

   attenuated 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  Grey 
  Limestone 
  in 
  Gristhorpe 
  Bay 
  

   having 
  been 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  time 
  overlooked, 
  and 
  only 
  first 
  detected 
  by 
  

   Prof. 
  Williamson, 
  — 
  the 
  bed 
  No. 
  21 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Wright's 
  memoir 
  (p. 
  31) 
  

   having 
  been 
  previously 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  first 
  indication 
  of 
  marine 
  

   conditions 
  below 
  the 
  Cornbrash, 
  — 
  the 
  truth 
  being 
  that 
  the 
  entire 
  

   series, 
  from 
  the 
  Inferior 
  Oolite 
  upwards 
  to 
  the 
  Cornbrash, 
  is 
  in 
  York- 
  

   shire 
  a 
  frequent 
  succession 
  of 
  marine 
  and 
  freshwater 
  conditions, 
  the 
  

   alternations 
  not 
  being 
  fewer 
  than 
  ten 
  in 
  number. 
  

  

  Hitherto 
  but 
  few 
  Plants 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  true 
  Upper 
  Sand- 
  

   stones 
  and 
  Shales 
  overlying 
  the 
  " 
  Grey 
  Limestone," 
  Traces 
  of 
  other 
  

   species 
  sometimes 
  occur 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  only 
  definite 
  form 
  that 
  I 
  am 
  

   acquainted 
  with 
  from 
  these 
  beds 
  is 
  the 
  Cyclopteris 
  digitata, 
  Fossil 
  

   Flora, 
  tab. 
  66 
  {Cyclopteris 
  Huttoni 
  of 
  Sternberg 
  and 
  Morris). 
  This 
  

   is 
  not 
  the 
  Cyclopteris 
  digitata 
  of 
  Brongniart 
  ; 
  the 
  two 
  species 
  being 
  

   distinct, 
  as 
  was 
  first 
  pointed 
  out 
  by 
  Sir 
  C. 
  J. 
  F. 
  Bunbury, 
  in 
  his 
  

   paper 
  on 
  the 
  Fossil 
  Plants 
  of 
  Scarborough, 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  ' 
  Pro- 
  

   ceedings 
  of 
  the 
  Geological 
  Society,' 
  March 
  1851. 
  It 
  is 
  rather 
  abun- 
  

   dant 
  in 
  a 
  white, 
  fine-grairjed 
  sandstone 
  (bed 
  No. 
  7, 
  p. 
  28, 
  Dr. 
  Wright's 
  

   memoir), 
  showing 
  the 
  blackened 
  leaves 
  in 
  fine 
  contrast. 
  Although 
  

   not 
  uncommon 
  at 
  White 
  Nab, 
  south 
  of 
  Scarborough, 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  fre- 
  

   quently 
  obtained 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  zone 
  a 
  little 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  town. 
  

   Hence 
  specimens 
  in 
  collections 
  have 
  been 
  always 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  

   "Lower 
  Sandstone 
  and 
  Shale." 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  aware 
  that 
  it 
  occurs 
  

   in 
  the 
  ** 
  Lower 
  Sandstone 
  and 
  Shale" 
  at 
  all, 
  although 
  referred 
  

   to 
  this 
  stratum 
  by 
  Sir 
  C. 
  J. 
  F. 
  Bunbury 
  (p. 
  184), 
  he 
  having 
  been 
  

   doubtless 
  misled 
  by 
  the 
  labels 
  in 
  the 
  collections 
  which 
  he 
  examined 
  

   at 
  Scarborough. 
  

  

  Along 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  "Upper 
  Sandstones 
  and 
  Shales," 
  between 
  

   the 
  Spa 
  and 
  White 
  Nab, 
  the 
  geologist 
  may 
  examine 
  with 
  interest 
  

   the 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  an 
  extensive 
  freshwater 
  lake, 
  whose 
  bottom 
  

   has 
  been 
  a 
  living 
  mass 
  of 
  Unioniform 
  Shells 
  ; 
  they 
  are 
  all 
  placed 
  

   endwise 
  and 
  closely 
  impacted, 
  but 
  exist 
  only 
  as 
  casts, 
  with 
  rarely 
  

   traces 
  of 
  their 
  shelly 
  exterior. 
  In 
  some 
  instances, 
  the 
  entombing 
  

   rock 
  being 
  harder 
  than 
  the 
  mud 
  which 
  formed 
  their 
  bed, 
  the 
  latter 
  

   has 
  perished, 
  and 
  in 
  caves 
  by 
  the 
  sea- 
  side 
  the 
  Uniones 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  

   depending 
  from 
  the 
  rock 
  above. 
  

  

  