South-Western Part of Somersetshire, 379 



calcareous concretions. These rest upon strata of the fetid varieties, 

 and underneath these last there are other strata of yellow clay and 

 cream coloured limestone, and in the lowest part of the series I 

 observed in the clay a thin bed of dark coloured limegtone full of 

 shells. In this lower yellow clay there is no gypsum. 



§ 49. The lyas strata do not extend far inland from the coast. 

 There are here, as in the country to the east, long ridges composed 

 of them, but the surface is very little broken. There are some 

 quarries in the parish of St. Decumans, others near the road from 

 High Bridge to Rydon, and upon the slope of the hill eastward of 

 Donniford. 



§ 50. Westward of Minehead, in the lower part of the southern 

 face of North hill, near Venniford, there is found a small insulated 

 patch of the lyas strata. There is a quarry by the side of the road, 

 and it extends in a north-west direction upon the slope of the hill 

 as far as East Lynch, where also there are quarries. It appears to 

 be confined to a space of about half a mile in length, and one-third 

 of a mile in breadth. The strata in the quarry at Venniford dip at 

 an angle of about 30° a little to the west of north : those at East 

 Lynch are horizontal. The occurrence of this detached portion of 

 the lyas strata is very remarkable, being above six miles distant 

 from the last appearance of the lyas at Blue Anchor, and the high 

 ridge of Heyden Down intervenes, which is wholly composed of 

 the grauwacke series. 



I should also notice that immediately below the quarries at East 

 Lynch, the red rock, with grey patches appears in the side of the 

 road. This is, I believe, the most western point where the lyas 

 strata are found in England. 



§ 51. About three miles westward of the river Parret, there 

 occurs on the sea-shore one of the most remarkable features of 



3 B 2 



