﻿184 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SOCIETY. 
  [Feb. 
  24, 
  

  

  under 
  which 
  those 
  deposits 
  were 
  made*. 
  Without 
  doubt 
  I 
  have 
  

   found 
  this 
  lower 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Drift 
  exhibit 
  some 
  features 
  not 
  

   met 
  with 
  in 
  the 
  higher 
  levels, 
  namely, 
  a 
  marked 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  

   grouping 
  of 
  the 
  fauna 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  types 
  of 
  Flint 
  Implements. 
  Although, 
  

   as 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  expected, 
  there 
  are 
  several 
  species 
  of 
  Mammals 
  

   in 
  common, 
  yet 
  the 
  section 
  under 
  notice 
  contains 
  some 
  species 
  not 
  

   known 
  in 
  the 
  localities 
  considered 
  to 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  upper-level 
  

   deposits; 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  remark 
  holds 
  good 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  

   land 
  and 
  freshwater 
  Shells. 
  

  

  The 
  new 
  line 
  of 
  railway 
  from 
  Bedford 
  to 
  Cambridge 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  

   across 
  a 
  large 
  tract 
  of 
  this 
  Drift-gravel 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  Bedford, 
  but 
  

   very 
  few 
  fossil 
  bones 
  have 
  been 
  obtained 
  from 
  it, 
  as 
  the 
  levels 
  of 
  the 
  

   line 
  did 
  not 
  necessitate 
  any 
  deep 
  cutting. 
  In 
  connexion, 
  however, 
  

   with 
  these 
  works 
  an 
  excavation 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  a 
  hill 
  contiguous 
  

   to 
  the 
  line, 
  which 
  has 
  furnished 
  the 
  interesting 
  section 
  now 
  under 
  

   consideration. 
  Two 
  miles 
  eastward 
  of 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Bedford, 
  and 
  near 
  

   the 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  parishes 
  of 
  Cardington 
  and 
  Goldington, 
  where 
  

   the 
  general 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  is 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  feet 
  above 
  

   the 
  water 
  of 
  the 
  River 
  Ouse, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  large 
  mound 
  known 
  as 
  

   " 
  Summerhouse 
  Hill." 
  The 
  Ordnance 
  Map 
  does 
  not 
  give 
  this 
  name, 
  

   but 
  shows 
  the 
  hill 
  and 
  the 
  brick-kiln 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  of 
  it. 
  The 
  whole 
  

   of 
  the 
  surrounding 
  flat 
  land 
  is 
  a 
  deep 
  alluvial 
  deposit, 
  and 
  a 
  great 
  

   portion 
  is 
  under 
  water 
  during 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  winter, 
  through 
  the 
  river- 
  

   floods. 
  Beneath 
  is 
  an 
  extensive 
  deposit 
  of 
  gravel, 
  which 
  overlies 
  the 
  

   clay 
  and 
  limestone 
  of 
  the 
  Middle 
  Oolite, 
  and 
  this 
  hill 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  

   the 
  same 
  clay. 
  

  

  The 
  hill 
  is 
  a 
  conspicuous 
  object, 
  although 
  only 
  36 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  

   level 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  natural 
  elevation 
  in 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  valley. 
  It 
  is 
  exactly 
  four 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  celebrated 
  pit 
  of 
  Bid- 
  

   denham 
  "as 
  the 
  crow 
  flies," 
  but 
  nine 
  miles 
  if 
  the 
  measurement 
  be 
  

   taken 
  by 
  the 
  present 
  meandering 
  river, 
  the 
  feeble 
  successor 
  of 
  the 
  

   ancient 
  torrent 
  which 
  scoured 
  the 
  valley. 
  In 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  an 
  

   actual 
  survey 
  for 
  the 
  true 
  levels 
  of 
  this 
  district, 
  some 
  idea 
  may 
  be 
  

   formed 
  of 
  the 
  difference 
  of 
  the 
  levels 
  between 
  the 
  pit 
  at 
  Biddenham 
  

   and 
  the 
  cutting 
  at 
  Summerhouse 
  Hill 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  the 
  river 
  

   has, 
  in 
  this 
  distance, 
  four 
  mill-dams 
  ; 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  natural 
  fall 
  may 
  be 
  

   calculated 
  to 
  be 
  at 
  least 
  30 
  feet 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  sites. 
  

  

  The 
  railway 
  contractors 
  found 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  north-eastern 
  

   flank 
  of 
  this 
  hill 
  a 
  valuable 
  deposit 
  of 
  gravel. 
  This 
  discovery 
  was 
  

   soon 
  turned 
  to 
  account, 
  and 
  several 
  acres 
  have 
  been 
  excavated 
  to 
  

   furnish 
  ballast 
  for 
  the 
  line 
  and 
  roadways 
  to 
  the 
  viaducts. 
  I 
  watched 
  

   the 
  work 
  with 
  great 
  interest, 
  as 
  the 
  gravel- 
  deposit 
  here 
  presents 
  the 
  

   peculiarity 
  of 
  a 
  great 
  buttress 
  to 
  the 
  hill 
  on 
  that 
  north-east 
  side 
  

   only. 
  This 
  deposit 
  has 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  15 
  feet 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  hill, 
  

   gradually 
  decreasing 
  in 
  thickness 
  until 
  near 
  the 
  top, 
  where 
  it 
  ceases 
  

   altogether; 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  south-western 
  slope 
  no 
  gravel 
  is 
  found, 
  but 
  there 
  

   the 
  hill 
  is 
  excavated 
  for 
  brick-making, 
  the 
  clay 
  coming 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  

   surface. 
  It 
  would 
  appear 
  as 
  if 
  this 
  mound 
  had 
  caused 
  a 
  shoal, 
  and 
  that 
  

  

  * 
  See 
  his 
  " 
  Theoretical 
  Considerations," 
  in 
  the 
  ' 
  Proceedings 
  of 
  the 
  Eoyal 
  So- 
  

   ciety,' 
  March 
  27, 
  1862. 
  

  

  