﻿154 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SOCIETY. 
  [Feb. 
  3, 
  

  

  affinity, 
  ; 
  for, 
  taking 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  areas 
  most 
  remote 
  from 
  the 
  English 
  

   border, 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  Vale 
  of 
  the 
  Nith, 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  

   whilst 
  the 
  more 
  solid 
  and 
  thicker 
  red 
  beds, 
  ont 
  of 
  which 
  Drumlanrig 
  

   Castle 
  has 
  been 
  built, 
  resemble 
  the 
  chief 
  masses 
  of 
  the 
  sandstones 
  

   aronnd 
  Penrith, 
  the 
  thinner 
  and 
  broad 
  flaglike 
  portions 
  which 
  are 
  

   exposed 
  in 
  the 
  numerous 
  quarries 
  near 
  Thornhill, 
  and 
  used 
  for 
  

   roofing-purposes 
  in 
  Dumfriesshire, 
  have 
  their 
  exact 
  representatives 
  

   in 
  Cumberland, 
  in 
  the 
  hilly 
  tracts 
  N.N.E. 
  of 
  Penrith. 
  

  

  § 
  2. 
  Middle 
  Permian, 
  or 
  Magnesian 
  Limestone 
  Rocks. 
  

  

  a. 
  Valley 
  of 
  the 
  Eden. 
  — 
  The 
  middle 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  Permian 
  rocks 
  of 
  

   the 
  north-west 
  of 
  England 
  — 
  the 
  Hilton 
  shales, 
  sandstones, 
  and 
  lime- 
  

   stones 
  of 
  Westmoreland 
  (equivalents 
  of 
  the 
  Magnesian 
  Limestone 
  of 
  

   the 
  east 
  of 
  England, 
  the 
  Zechstein 
  of 
  the 
  Germans) 
  — 
  has 
  a 
  more 
  

   varied 
  mineral 
  character 
  than 
  the 
  two 
  other 
  divisions 
  of 
  this 
  forma- 
  

   tion. 
  This 
  member 
  is 
  well 
  represented 
  in 
  Hilton-beck, 
  overlying 
  

   conformably 
  the 
  lower 
  sandstones 
  ; 
  and, 
  as 
  some 
  interesting 
  fossils 
  

   occur 
  here, 
  the 
  term 
  Hilton 
  shales, 
  sandstones, 
  and 
  limestones 
  is 
  

   applied 
  to 
  the 
  central 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Permian 
  rocks 
  of 
  the 
  north-west 
  

   of 
  England. 
  These 
  Hilton 
  beds, 
  or 
  their 
  equivalents, 
  subtend 
  and 
  

   overlie 
  the 
  Penrith 
  sandstone 
  on 
  the 
  east, 
  in 
  the 
  Yale 
  of 
  the 
  Eden, 
  and 
  

   the 
  direction 
  in 
  which 
  these 
  strata 
  strike 
  conforms 
  very 
  nearly 
  to 
  

   the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  Pennine 
  fault. 
  Southwards 
  from 
  Hilton- 
  

   beck 
  the 
  Middle 
  Permian 
  consists 
  of 
  red 
  clays, 
  except 
  as 
  seen 
  in 
  

   Bela 
  Water, 
  where 
  they 
  approximate 
  somewhat 
  to 
  the 
  Hilton 
  type 
  ; 
  

   and 
  northwards 
  from 
  Hilton-beck 
  red 
  clays 
  are 
  their 
  usual 
  compo- 
  

   nents, 
  with, 
  in 
  some 
  localities, 
  lenticular 
  masses 
  of 
  gypsum. 
  The 
  

   ordinary 
  form 
  which 
  they 
  exhibit 
  is 
  well 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  

   Crowdundle-beck, 
  at 
  Newbiggin, 
  in 
  the 
  grounds 
  of 
  our 
  kind 
  friend 
  

   Mr. 
  Crackenthorpe. 
  

  

  The 
  basement-beds 
  of 
  the 
  Middle 
  Permian 
  rocks, 
  as 
  seen 
  in 
  Hilton- 
  

   beck, 
  are 
  finely 
  exposed 
  at 
  Ash 
  Bank, 
  and 
  consist 
  of 
  cream-coloured 
  

   shaly 
  sandstones 
  with 
  thin 
  partings 
  of 
  grey 
  shale, 
  and 
  occasionally 
  

   a 
  narrow 
  band 
  of 
  impure 
  sandy 
  limestone 
  which 
  weathers 
  brown. 
  

   These 
  beds 
  contain 
  a 
  considerable 
  number 
  of 
  vegetable 
  remains, 
  

   among 
  which 
  Mr. 
  Etheridge 
  has 
  recognized 
  the 
  following 
  : 
  — 
  Sjpheno- 
  

   pteris 
  Naumanni, 
  Gutbier, 
  S. 
  dichotoma, 
  Althaus, 
  Alethopteris 
  Goep- 
  

   perti, 
  Naum., 
  Ullmania 
  selaginoides, 
  U. 
  Bronnii 
  (base 
  of 
  cones 
  show- 
  

   ing 
  bracts), 
  Odontopteris, 
  sp. 
  ?, 
  Sphenopteris, 
  sp. 
  ?, 
  and 
  Cardiocarpon 
  

   triangulare, 
  Gein. 
  Portions 
  of 
  coniferous 
  wood 
  also 
  occur 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  

   the 
  remains 
  are 
  usually 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  detached 
  leaves 
  and 
  bracts 
  

   of 
  cones, 
  they 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  relics 
  of 
  autumnal 
  vegetation*. 
  

  

  Of 
  these 
  Plants, 
  two, 
  Ullmania 
  selaginoides 
  and 
  U. 
  Bronnii, 
  are 
  

   common 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Magnesian 
  Limestone 
  of 
  Midderidge 
  in 
  

   Durham, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  forms 
  occur, 
  along 
  with 
  Ullmania?, 
  in 
  the 
  

   Kupferschiefer 
  of 
  Germany. 
  The 
  fossil 
  contents 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  por- 
  

  

  * 
  Through 
  the 
  kindness 
  of 
  the 
  Earl 
  of 
  Lonsdale, 
  the 
  proprietor 
  of 
  Ash 
  Bank, 
  

   we 
  were 
  enabled 
  to 
  obtain 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  specimens 
  of 
  these 
  Plants 
  by 
  cutting 
  away 
  

   a 
  small 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  escarpment 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  occur. 
  

  

  