﻿10 
  J. 
  S. 
  GARDNER 
  DESCRIPTION 
  AND 
  

  

  ft. 
  in. 
  

   White 
  sand 
  

  

  Pale 
  and 
  dark 
  yellow 
  sands 
  and 
  whitish 
  clay 
  4 
  6 
  

  

  Dark 
  sandy 
  clay 
  with 
  marine 
  shells 
  6 
  6 
  

  

  Dark 
  and 
  bright 
  sands 
  20 
  

  

  Stiff 
  black 
  clay 
  1 
  

  

  Sandy 
  laminated 
  clays 
  with 
  ferns 
  2 
  6 
  

  

  Mottled 
  yellow-and-white 
  sand 
  3 
  

  

  Hard 
  white 
  sand 
  about 
  25 
  

  

  The 
  cliff-sections, 
  looked 
  at 
  broadly, 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  prevailing 
  ar- 
  

   rangement 
  of 
  the 
  material 
  is 
  seldom 
  departed 
  from. 
  Interest 
  chiefly 
  

   centres 
  in 
  the 
  clays, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  plant-remains 
  they 
  contain. 
  

   These 
  may 
  be 
  divided 
  by 
  their 
  fossils 
  into 
  three 
  groups 
  — 
  those 
  at 
  

   the 
  western 
  extremity 
  of 
  the 
  section 
  mostly 
  characterized 
  by 
  the 
  

   presence 
  of 
  Salios 
  and 
  absence 
  of 
  palm, 
  the 
  central 
  group 
  by 
  abun- 
  

   dance 
  of 
  palms 
  and 
  ferns, 
  the 
  eastern 
  group 
  by 
  Araucaria, 
  net-veined 
  

   ferns, 
  and 
  Eucalyptus. 
  These 
  differences 
  might 
  either 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  

   changes 
  in 
  the 
  physical 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  land, 
  brought 
  about 
  by 
  lapse 
  

   of 
  time 
  between 
  the 
  deposition 
  of 
  each, 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  dissimilarity 
  of 
  the 
  

   stations 
  whence 
  the 
  respective 
  floras 
  were 
  derived, 
  or 
  in 
  part 
  to 
  both 
  

   causes. 
  The 
  western 
  series, 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  seen, 
  is 
  separated 
  from 
  

   the 
  central 
  group* 
  by 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  mile 
  of 
  grits 
  and 
  clays, 
  which 
  

   cannot 
  be 
  traced 
  in 
  horizons 
  like 
  those 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  of 
  it. 
  The 
  ab- 
  

   sence 
  of 
  dark 
  clays 
  and, 
  indeed, 
  of 
  large 
  clay 
  patches 
  and 
  of 
  distinct 
  

   fossils, 
  the 
  coarseness 
  and 
  quantity 
  of 
  the 
  sand 
  and 
  grit, 
  the 
  

   want 
  of 
  regularity, 
  and 
  the 
  frequency 
  with 
  which 
  sands 
  and 
  clays 
  

   have 
  been 
  cut 
  through 
  and 
  redeposited, 
  seem 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  this 
  was 
  

   the 
  filling-in 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  actual 
  main 
  channel 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  The 
  

   lenticular 
  forms 
  of 
  the 
  sands 
  and 
  clays 
  in 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  cliff 
  show 
  

   that 
  the 
  section 
  must 
  be 
  a 
  transverse 
  or 
  obliquely 
  transverse 
  one 
  ; 
  

   and 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  patches 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  cut 
  through 
  invariably 
  

   present 
  the 
  steep 
  side 
  to 
  the 
  west, 
  points 
  to 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  set 
  

   of 
  the 
  stream. 
  Thus 
  the 
  clays 
  in 
  the 
  horizons 
  of 
  leaf-patches, 
  both 
  

   east 
  and 
  west 
  of 
  that 
  which 
  is 
  supposed 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  at 
  times 
  the 
  

   main 
  channel, 
  are 
  seen 
  to 
  be 
  much 
  smaller 
  and 
  more 
  frequently 
  

   broken 
  up 
  and 
  rolled 
  into 
  boulders 
  as 
  this 
  is 
  approached, 
  and 
  to 
  be 
  

   larger 
  and 
  therefore, 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  deposition, 
  more 
  free 
  from 
  

   violent 
  river-action 
  as 
  the 
  central 
  channel 
  is 
  quitted. 
  If 
  this 
  was 
  

   really 
  at 
  any 
  time 
  the 
  main 
  channel 
  and 
  all 
  occupied 
  at 
  one 
  time, 
  the 
  

   river 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  mile 
  in 
  width, 
  and 
  the 
  width 
  of 
  its 
  

   valley 
  subject 
  to 
  floods 
  cannot 
  have 
  been 
  less 
  than 
  9 
  miles, 
  and 
  was 
  

   possibly 
  even 
  16 
  miles. 
  The 
  total 
  absence 
  of 
  boulders 
  and 
  the 
  fineness 
  

   of 
  the 
  silt 
  show 
  that 
  it 
  flowed 
  over 
  a 
  comparatively 
  flat 
  area 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  

   absence 
  of 
  lignite 
  throughout 
  a 
  great 
  part 
  of 
  its 
  thickness, 
  that 
  pro- 
  

   bably 
  there 
  were 
  lakes 
  or 
  catchment 
  basins 
  in 
  its 
  course 
  to 
  intercept 
  

   drifting 
  timber. 
  Possibly 
  the 
  Bovey 
  Tracey 
  lignite 
  basins, 
  only 
  80 
  miles 
  

   distant, 
  which 
  are 
  undoubtedly 
  of 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  age, 
  may 
  be 
  relics 
  

   of 
  these. 
  The 
  complete 
  absence 
  of 
  any 
  material 
  derived 
  from 
  flint 
  or 
  

   chalk 
  shows 
  that 
  no 
  chalk 
  ranges 
  were 
  cut 
  through 
  by 
  it 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  

   quartzose 
  and 
  granitic 
  sand, 
  and 
  pipe-clay, 
  that 
  its 
  sediment 
  must 
  

   * 
  Sugar-loaf 
  to 
  Watering 
  Chine. 
  

  

  