﻿1864.] 
  

  

  WITCHELL 
  STROUD. 
  

  

  379 
  

  

  the 
  upper 
  escarpment 
  of 
  the 
  hill 
  ; 
  and 
  below 
  the 
  shelly 
  beds, 
  some 
  80 
  

   yards, 
  is 
  a 
  second 
  escarpment 
  formed 
  by 
  the 
  ragstone-beds 
  of 
  the 
  

   Inferior 
  Oolite. 
  

  

  Top 
  of 
  

   Stroud 
  Hill. 
  

  

  a. 
  Surface-earth, 
  2 
  to 
  

  

  4 
  feet. 
  

  

  b. 
  Shelly 
  bed, 
  126 
  feet 
  

  

  long. 
  

  

  c. 
  Clay. 
  

  

  D. 
  Stonesfield 
  Slate. 
  

  

  E. 
  Fuller's 
  Earth. 
  

  

  F. 
  Clypeus-beds 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  Inferior 
  Oolite. 
  

  

  * 
  Line 
  of 
  Springs. 
  

  

  | 
  Limits 
  of 
  Excava- 
  

   tion. 
  

  

  The 
  formation 
  of 
  the 
  clay 
  (c) 
  was 
  not 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  any 
  great 
  

   amount 
  of 
  disintegrating 
  action, 
  or 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  found 
  to 
  contain 
  

   traces 
  of 
  the 
  constituent 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  forming 
  the 
  higher 
  ground, 
  

   which 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  case. 
  The 
  shelly 
  bed 
  is 
  in 
  immediate 
  contact 
  with 
  

   the 
  clay, 
  there 
  being 
  no 
  trace 
  of 
  any 
  intermediate 
  deposit, 
  except 
  the 
  

   flat 
  stones 
  before 
  referred 
  to. 
  These 
  stones 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  carried 
  

   down 
  the 
  slope 
  from 
  the 
  higher 
  beds 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  land-slips, 
  and 
  the 
  

   finer 
  and 
  lighter 
  particles 
  having 
  been 
  washed 
  away, 
  the 
  stones 
  

   would 
  be 
  left 
  scattered 
  upon 
  the 
  surface, 
  afterwards 
  to 
  become 
  

   mixed 
  with 
  the 
  shelly 
  deposit 
  as 
  it 
  accumulated. 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  same 
  agency 
  also 
  (that 
  of 
  water 
  and 
  landslips) 
  the 
  shelly 
  

   bed 
  itself 
  may 
  perhaps 
  owe 
  its 
  origin. 
  Indeed 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  ac- 
  

   count 
  for 
  its 
  existence 
  otherwise 
  than 
  upon 
  the 
  assumption 
  that 
  it 
  

   took 
  place 
  in 
  still 
  water. 
  It 
  is 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  a 
  mere 
  sediment 
  

   compressed 
  by 
  the 
  overlying 
  earth, 
  and 
  the 
  slope 
  on 
  which 
  it 
  rests 
  

   being 
  at 
  an 
  incline 
  of 
  13°, 
  the 
  smallest 
  running 
  stream 
  would 
  inevi- 
  

   tably 
  have 
  carried 
  it 
  further 
  down 
  the 
  hill, 
  where 
  the 
  surface 
  is 
  com- 
  

   paratively 
  level, 
  and 
  not 
  have 
  deposited 
  it 
  where 
  the 
  angle 
  of 
  incli- 
  

   nation 
  is 
  greatest, 
  but 
  for 
  the 
  interposition 
  of 
  some 
  considerable 
  bar- 
  

   rier 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  which 
  a 
  landslip 
  would 
  produce. 
  

  

  The 
  steep 
  slope 
  above 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  springs, 
  already 
  referred 
  to 
  as 
  

   the 
  upper 
  escarpment, 
  doubtless 
  owes 
  its 
  present 
  shape 
  to 
  landslips 
  

   occasioned 
  by 
  the 
  springs 
  issuing 
  from 
  beneath 
  ; 
  and 
  if 
  we 
  suppose 
  

   that 
  at 
  some 
  distant 
  period 
  a 
  slip 
  of 
  considerable 
  magnitude 
  took 
  

   place 
  from 
  this 
  slope, 
  the 
  material 
  of 
  which, 
  after 
  passing 
  down- 
  

   wards 
  to 
  the 
  more 
  level 
  surface 
  above 
  the 
  lower 
  escarpment, 
  

   there 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  became 
  stationary, 
  we 
  have 
  a 
  dam 
  formed, 
  and, 
  as 
  

   the 
  springs 
  followed 
  the 
  same 
  course, 
  a 
  pond 
  would 
  be 
  the 
  result 
  ; 
  

  

  