568 E. B. TAWNEY AND H. KEEPING ON THE 



base of the cliff close to the beach. It was next described by Mr. Searles 

 Wood, who gave a list of its fossils, and stated that it extended for 

 40 yards *. It was seen at the time referred to by one of the present 

 writers, whose opinion is that it was distinctly not in place, bnt was 

 forced up out of the undercliff by the pressure of fallen material. 

 It was so rich in fossils that in a few years every bit of it exposed 

 was carried away by fossil- collectors. In order to obtain a clear 

 section of this bed for the Marchioness, a pit was sunk, clearing 

 away the gravel, and exposing it much higher up in the cliff. From 

 this pit were obtained the fossils in the Edwards, the Marchioness's, 

 and the Woodwardian-Museum collections, besides what found their 

 way into numerous private collections. The writer has visited the 

 locality every year since, and is able to state that the true Middle- 

 Headon bed has never been exposed in place in Hordwell Cliff since 

 that elate. Apparently the Long-Mead-End shell-bed (Upper Bag- 

 shot) has been by some mistaken for it. 



We cannot agree with what the Marchioness of Hastings has 

 written concerning the position of this bed. She has placed 6-8 feet 

 of grey sands above it ; and by the lists of fossils which are given, we 

 are able to identify bed No. 1 of her section as our beds (33), (32), 

 and part of (31). Her No. 2, the Middle Headon, is misplaced ; it 

 ought to come above (1). It is described as having been 10-12 

 inches thick, but " now almost entirely effaced, as it has not main- 

 tained a horizontal direction." The statement of Messrs. Edwards 

 and Wood that Limncea and Planorbis are found in the bed, was 

 doubted by the Marchioness, she stating that this bed is truly marine. 

 Then follows a statement, " The band above mentioned, as being- 

 found at the base f of the first stratum, takes the place of the 

 second stratum after its disappearance, which is peculiar, because 

 its fossils are indubitably freshwater." This probably means that 

 the Limncea-limestone further west is seen at a slightly higher 

 level than the marine bed was seen at, which proves that it had 

 slipped, and was not in place. In the present state of the cliff 

 even, it is quite easy to see that she has misapprehended the rela- 

 tive position of these top beds. 



Dr. T. Wright i has also misplaced the marine bed. He writes : — 

 " This bed was much covered up at its origin and throughout nearly 

 its entire course at tne time of my visit [1850], and was only exposed 

 at one place to the extent of about 10 yards." It is his bed (4), 

 and he places it below the Unio-bed, a clear proof that the marine 

 bed was not in place where he saw it, but squeezed out among the 

 tumbled material. He has further involved matters by placing his 

 bed No. 3 also above the marine bed ; whereas it is easily identifi- 

 able with bed (4) of the Marchioness's section, a bed below both the 

 Unio-hed and the marine bed. The present state of the cliff shows 

 his view to be impossible, as all the beds are now exposed ; it should 



* Lond. Geol. Journ. No. 1, p. 2 (1846). 



t In her later paper in the ' Philosophical Magazine ' (loc. cit. pp. 3 & 4), the 

 Marchioness refers this fossiliferous band to the top of her Stratum 1. — Ed. 

 Q.J.G.S. + Loc. cit. p. 123. 



