﻿186 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SOCIETY. 
  [Feb. 
  24, 
  

  

  lata. 
  This 
  assemblage 
  of 
  Shells 
  shows 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  river- 
  

   scouring, 
  with 
  a 
  mountainous 
  or 
  hilly 
  stream 
  flowing 
  into 
  it, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  sea. 
  In 
  the 
  second 
  layer 
  (at 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  9 
  feet) 
  

   were 
  Planorbisspirorbis,AncylusJluviatilis, 
  Sphcerium 
  corneum, 
  Pupa 
  

   marginata, 
  Limncea 
  truncatula, 
  L. 
  peregra, 
  Bithynia 
  tentaeulata, 
  

   Pisidium 
  fontinale, 
  Zua 
  lubrica, 
  Unio 
  Batavus. 
  The 
  Unio 
  is 
  the 
  

   same 
  species 
  as 
  now 
  living 
  in 
  the 
  Oise. 
  In 
  the 
  third 
  layer 
  (at 
  the 
  

   depth 
  of 
  12 
  feet) 
  were 
  Valvata 
  piscinalis, 
  Helioc 
  pulchella, 
  Pupa 
  

   marginata, 
  Bithynia 
  tentaeulata, 
  Sphcerium 
  corneum, 
  Pisidlum 
  amni- 
  

   cum, 
  P. 
  fontinale, 
  Ancylusfluviatilis, 
  Limncea 
  peregra, 
  Succinea 
  elegans, 
  

   Planorbis 
  albus, 
  P. 
  spirorbis. 
  The 
  shells 
  have 
  the 
  same 
  appearance 
  

   as 
  those 
  from 
  the 
  Abbeville 
  district 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  probable 
  they 
  

   were 
  coeval, 
  and 
  deposited 
  under 
  similar 
  conditions." 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  excavation 
  great 
  quantities 
  of 
  bones 
  were 
  found, 
  but 
  

   from 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  very 
  few 
  were 
  preserved 
  at 
  the 
  onset, 
  

   as 
  a 
  large 
  gang 
  of 
  navvies 
  had 
  to 
  fill 
  ballast- 
  waggons 
  in 
  a 
  given 
  

   time 
  for 
  an 
  engine 
  to 
  draw 
  away 
  to 
  Bedford 
  ; 
  the 
  consequence 
  was 
  

   that 
  many 
  fine 
  fossils 
  assisted 
  to 
  make 
  approaches 
  to 
  the 
  new 
  

   bridges. 
  As 
  the 
  demand 
  for 
  ballast 
  slackened, 
  the 
  chances 
  of 
  ob- 
  

   servation 
  increased, 
  and 
  eventually 
  many 
  valuable 
  specimens 
  were 
  

   obtained. 
  There 
  were 
  great 
  numbers 
  of 
  antlers 
  of 
  Deer, 
  some 
  shed, 
  

   and 
  others 
  having 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  skull 
  attached 
  : 
  there 
  were 
  also 
  

   teeth 
  and 
  bones 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  species, 
  and 
  many 
  bones, 
  teeth, 
  and 
  cores 
  

   of 
  horns 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  species 
  of 
  Bos. 
  A 
  doubt 
  has 
  been 
  previously 
  

   expressed 
  whether 
  the 
  gravels 
  in 
  this 
  valley 
  have 
  yet 
  -given 
  good 
  

   evidence 
  of 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  Hippopotamus 
  major 
  ; 
  but 
  this 
  excava- 
  

   tion 
  removes 
  all 
  doubt 
  on 
  that 
  point, 
  as 
  I 
  obtained 
  portions 
  of 
  two 
  

   tusks 
  with 
  an 
  astragalus 
  and 
  portions 
  of 
  other 
  bones 
  ; 
  and 
  within 
  

   500 
  yards 
  of 
  this 
  spot, 
  in 
  the 
  cutting 
  for 
  a 
  watercourse 
  by 
  the 
  side 
  

   of 
  the 
  railway 
  a 
  fine 
  tusk 
  was 
  found, 
  which, 
  however, 
  the 
  men 
  

   broke 
  in 
  pieces. 
  Professor 
  Owen 
  kindly 
  permitted 
  me 
  to 
  forward 
  to 
  

   him 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  fossils 
  for 
  his 
  examination, 
  and 
  amongst 
  them 
  

   he 
  has 
  found 
  Elephas 
  antiquus, 
  Falc, 
  some 
  very 
  fine 
  remains 
  of 
  

   Hippopotamus 
  major, 
  Bos 
  giganteus, 
  Owen, 
  Cervus 
  elaphus 
  (large 
  

   variety), 
  Cervus 
  tarandus, 
  and 
  Ursus. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  added 
  that 
  very 
  

   few 
  of 
  the 
  bones 
  exhibited 
  any 
  signs 
  of 
  having 
  been 
  rolled 
  far, 
  but 
  

   the 
  great 
  proportion 
  retained 
  their 
  natural 
  form 
  perfectly. 
  

  

  But 
  there 
  is 
  another 
  fact 
  which 
  gives 
  importance 
  to 
  this 
  section, 
  

   and 
  causes 
  Summerhouse 
  Hill 
  to 
  be 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  interesting 
  loca- 
  

   lities 
  which 
  have 
  yielded 
  the 
  rude 
  tools 
  of 
  the 
  primitive 
  flint- 
  

   chippers. 
  The 
  only 
  unsatisfactory 
  point 
  is 
  that 
  no 
  Flint 
  Implement 
  

   has 
  been 
  discovered 
  in 
  situ 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  circumstances 
  under 
  which 
  I 
  

   found 
  one 
  specimen 
  leave 
  no 
  doubt 
  as 
  to 
  its 
  original 
  place 
  of 
  deposit, 
  

   and 
  its 
  condition 
  carries 
  the 
  most 
  complete 
  evidence 
  of 
  its 
  antiquity. 
  

   At 
  a 
  later 
  period 
  of 
  the 
  excavations 
  the 
  sand 
  was 
  sifted 
  out, 
  and 
  

   only 
  the 
  larger 
  gravel 
  taken 
  away 
  for 
  ballasting 
  purposes. 
  In 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  heaps 
  of 
  this 
  sifted 
  gravel 
  I 
  found 
  a 
  small 
  Flint 
  Implement 
  of 
  

   oval 
  form, 
  and 
  this 
  heap 
  must 
  have 
  come 
  from 
  the 
  lowest 
  bed 
  of 
  

   gravel, 
  and 
  was 
  amongst 
  the 
  last 
  material 
  that 
  was 
  removed 
  from 
  

   the 
  section. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  stones 
  were 
  deeply 
  stained 
  with 
  oxide 
  of 
  

  

  