﻿12 
  J. 
  S. 
  GAKDNEK 
  — 
  DESCRIPTION 
  AND 
  

  

  a 
  year. 
  Over 
  this 
  is 
  lighter 
  clay, 
  as 
  if 
  the 
  water 
  again 
  began 
  to 
  

   trickle 
  in 
  more 
  freely 
  ; 
  and 
  then 
  once 
  more 
  follows 
  the 
  sudden 
  change 
  

   to 
  grit. 
  The 
  reimbedded 
  lumps 
  of 
  clay 
  above 
  show 
  that 
  many 
  such 
  

   sequences 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  broken 
  up 
  and 
  swept 
  away 
  ; 
  indeed 
  it 
  is 
  

   more 
  likely 
  that 
  a 
  violent 
  flood 
  would 
  have 
  this 
  action 
  than 
  a 
  pre- 
  

   servative 
  one. 
  

  

  The 
  general 
  dip 
  of 
  these 
  strata 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  ascertain, 
  owing 
  

   to 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  continuous 
  beds 
  *. 
  It 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  so 
  uni- 
  

   form 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  marine 
  series 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  am 
  therefore 
  only 
  able 
  to 
  

   make 
  a 
  rough 
  estimate 
  that 
  the 
  western 
  flora 
  may 
  be, 
  probably, 
  at 
  

   least 
  200 
  feet 
  vertically 
  below 
  the 
  central 
  flora. 
  The 
  central 
  flora 
  

   and 
  the 
  eastern 
  flora 
  must 
  be 
  separated 
  by 
  at 
  least 
  another 
  100 
  feet 
  

   of 
  strata, 
  and 
  the 
  fern 
  beds 
  at 
  the 
  extreme 
  east 
  from 
  the 
  latter 
  by 
  

   50 
  feet 
  more. 
  I 
  should 
  therefore 
  estimate 
  the 
  total 
  thickness 
  of 
  the 
  

   freshwater 
  beds 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  cliff 
  from 
  Poole 
  Harbour 
  to 
  the 
  Meyrick 
  

   Road 
  in 
  Bournemouth 
  at 
  not 
  less. 
  than 
  400 
  feet. 
  Nor 
  is 
  this 
  the 
  

   entire 
  thickness 
  of 
  the 
  group 
  ; 
  for 
  it 
  seems 
  likely, 
  judging 
  from 
  the 
  

   beds 
  along 
  its 
  margin, 
  that 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  clay 
  and 
  sand, 
  perhaps 
  

   another 
  100 
  feet 
  in 
  thickness, 
  has 
  been 
  denuded 
  by 
  the 
  Ware 
  in 
  the 
  

   formation 
  of 
  Poole 
  Harbour. 
  The 
  clays 
  in 
  this 
  lower 
  part 
  are 
  in 
  

   more 
  extensive 
  patches, 
  and 
  rarely, 
  if 
  ever, 
  contain 
  leaves, 
  although 
  

   unbored 
  trunks 
  of 
  trees 
  are 
  not 
  uncommon. 
  They 
  are 
  evidently 
  on 
  

   a 
  lower 
  horizon 
  and 
  can 
  be 
  well 
  examined 
  in 
  the 
  numerous 
  brick- 
  

   pits 
  which 
  are 
  worked 
  into 
  the 
  hills 
  encircling 
  Poole 
  Harbour 
  from 
  

   Parkestone 
  to 
  Upton. 
  A 
  well 
  sunk 
  at 
  Longfleet 
  Union 
  Workhousef 
  

   close 
  to 
  Poole, 
  penetrated 
  250 
  feet 
  before 
  pipe-clay 
  was 
  reached 
  ; 
  

   but 
  at 
  Branksea 
  it 
  is 
  much 
  nearer 
  the 
  surface. 
  

  

  The 
  Flora. 
  

  

  None 
  of 
  the 
  prevailing 
  types 
  familiar 
  to 
  workers 
  at 
  Alum 
  Bay 
  

   are 
  found 
  at 
  Bournemouth 
  ; 
  nor 
  are 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  well-known 
  Bourne- 
  

   mouth 
  types 
  found 
  at 
  Alum 
  Bay. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  they 
  seem 
  to 
  pass 
  

   upward 
  through 
  the 
  Marine 
  series 
  to 
  the 
  Hordwell 
  and 
  the 
  Bembridge 
  

   strata. 
  They 
  are, 
  in 
  many 
  respects, 
  identical 
  with 
  the 
  types 
  of 
  the 
  

   Bovey 
  flora 
  ; 
  and 
  their 
  affinities 
  are 
  completely 
  with 
  the 
  floras 
  as- 
  

   cribed 
  in 
  Prance 
  to 
  the 
  Oligocene. 
  The 
  facies 
  of 
  the 
  flora 
  seems, 
  from 
  

   what 
  is 
  at 
  present 
  known 
  of 
  it, 
  to 
  be 
  chiefly 
  Australian 
  and 
  tropical 
  

   American 
  ; 
  and 
  its 
  forests 
  were 
  so 
  varied 
  and 
  rich 
  in 
  species, 
  that 
  

   they 
  can 
  only 
  be 
  compared, 
  among 
  existing 
  botanical 
  regions, 
  to 
  those 
  

   of 
  Atlantic 
  America 
  and 
  Manchuria. 
  It 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  reconcile 
  the 
  

   prevalence 
  of 
  distinct 
  leaves 
  in 
  each 
  separate 
  pool, 
  except 
  upon 
  the 
  

   supposition 
  that 
  they 
  fell 
  from 
  not 
  far 
  distant 
  clumps 
  of 
  trees. 
  Yet 
  

   we 
  have 
  no 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  close 
  proximity 
  of 
  forest 
  growths, 
  except 
  

   occasional 
  butts 
  of 
  palms 
  imbedded 
  in 
  clay; 
  and 
  the 
  remains 
  must 
  have 
  

   been 
  floated 
  down, 
  though 
  probably 
  from 
  short 
  distances, 
  unless, 
  in- 
  

   deed, 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  supposed 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  thus 
  separated 
  by 
  the 
  differ- 
  

   ent 
  powers 
  of 
  flotation 
  of 
  the 
  leaves. 
  

  

  * 
  The 
  dip 
  can 
  sometimes 
  be 
  seen 
  very 
  clearly 
  at 
  low 
  water, 
  when 
  the 
  beach 
  

   has 
  been 
  removed 
  by 
  easterly 
  gales, 
  

   t 
  Proc. 
  Gteol. 
  Soc. 
  1840, 
  p. 
  413. 
  

  

  