558 MR. E. WETHEKED OX THE INFERIOR 



Tlie Lower Freestone. — This development of the Inferior Oolite is 

 best seen in the tine exposure at Leckhampton Hill, where the Lower 

 Freestone, according to Mr. Witchell *, is 110 feet thick. It 

 is not well suited for microscopic examination on account of its 

 crystalline nature. Thus Mr. Witchell remarks that " attempts 

 have been made to discover traces of organisms in the nuclei of the 

 oolitic granules, but without success, and the centre is generally of 

 the same constitution as the envelope " t- Among the organic 

 remains which could be determined, both as nuclei and free, are 

 polyzoa, spines, and fragments of shell. The remains of echino- 

 dermata, so numerous in the Pea-Grit Series, are scarce in the 

 Lower Preestone. 



As to the origin of the oolitic granules, I have little to add to 

 what I stated in a previous paper %. It is, however, safe to say 

 that in some of them tubules are apparent, but in the majority 

 there is very little structure to be seen, owing to the crystalline 

 condition into which the granules have passed. 



The Oolite Marl will be referred to under the head of Insoluble 

 Residues. 



The Upper Freestone. — Specimens from this division of the Inferior 

 Oolite can generally be distinguished from the Lower Preestone by 

 their greater compactness ; that is to say, they are more oolitic and 

 contain few organic fragments which do not serve as nuclei for 

 oolitic granules. The beds are also less crystalline. In my pre- 

 vious paper § I have at some length referred to this Upper Freestone 

 and pointed out that in Chedworth Wood, about 10 miles east of 

 Cheltenham, there are blue patches of this freestone intermingled 

 with the normal yellow. In this latter the organic origin of the 

 granules is undoubted, for the Girvanella tubules are clearly seen in 

 several instances. With regard to the yellow freestone I could not 

 then speak so decidedly, but I have since made a further study of it 

 and am now prepared to say that the granules, both in the yellow 

 and in the blue rock, are of organic origin. This is indeed what 

 might be expected, seeing that one variety of the freestone gradu- 

 ates into the other. 



The Upper Freestone exposed in Chedworth Wood terminates in 

 an argillaceous deposit 8 inches thick, which will be described under 

 the head of Insoluble E-esidues. 



(e) The Ragstones. 



The Ragstones constitute the Upper Division of the Inferior 

 Oolite, and are better exposed in a recently-made cutting in Ched- 

 worth Wood than in any other part of the Cotteswold area. The 

 following is a stratigraphical section showing the series of beds : — 



* ' Geology of Stroud,' p. 46. t Ibid. p. 45. 



+ Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. vol. xlvi. (1890) p. 275. 

 § Tom. clt. p. 276. 



