﻿CORRELATION 
  OF 
  THE 
  BOURNEMOUTH 
  BEDS. 
  9 
  

  

  the 
  richest 
  fossil-bearing 
  beds. 
  The 
  details 
  are 
  : 
  — 
  first 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  

   quite 
  decomposed 
  ^V^cZo-bored 
  wood 
  ; 
  then 
  compact 
  blackish 
  clay 
  in 
  a 
  

   wedge-shaped 
  mass, 
  36 
  yards 
  long, 
  10 
  feet 
  thick, 
  with 
  a 
  water-worn 
  

   and 
  uneven 
  upper 
  surface, 
  laminated, 
  highly 
  pyritous, 
  containing 
  

   between 
  some 
  of 
  its 
  layers 
  detached 
  pinnules 
  of 
  Osmunda 
  lignitum, 
  

   twigs 
  of 
  Sequoia 
  Couttsice, 
  spines, 
  a 
  small 
  leguminous 
  pod, 
  and 
  other 
  

   fruits 
  or 
  seeds*. 
  [The 
  leaves 
  &c. 
  are 
  black 
  and 
  lustrous, 
  but 
  very 
  

   difficult 
  to 
  preserve. 
  The 
  large 
  frond 
  of 
  Chrysodium, 
  figured 
  pi. 
  i. 
  

   ' 
  British 
  Eocene 
  Mora,' 
  and 
  leaves 
  of 
  palm 
  are 
  from 
  this 
  bed.] 
  

  

  The 
  black 
  clay 
  passes 
  into 
  a 
  cinnamon- 
  coloured 
  clay 
  containing 
  

   abundant 
  and 
  exquisitely 
  preserved 
  leaves, 
  even 
  the 
  commonest 
  of 
  

   which 
  are 
  as 
  yet 
  undetermined. 
  

  

  The 
  cinnamon 
  clay 
  rests 
  upon 
  a 
  band 
  of 
  ironstone 
  1 
  foot 
  thick, 
  

   and 
  this 
  upon 
  5 
  feet 
  of 
  coarse 
  angular 
  grit; 
  and 
  then 
  follows 
  a 
  patch 
  

   about 
  1 
  foot 
  thick 
  of 
  light 
  drab 
  and 
  very 
  tenacious 
  clay, 
  full 
  of 
  a 
  

   small, 
  variable 
  and 
  peculiar 
  although 
  as 
  yet 
  undetermined 
  leaf, 
  and 
  

   of 
  a 
  Smilaoe. 
  Below 
  this, 
  and 
  separated 
  from 
  it 
  by 
  30 
  inches 
  of 
  

   whitish 
  and 
  orange, 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  lignitic 
  sand, 
  are 
  two 
  beds, 
  4 
  or 
  5 
  

   inches 
  thick, 
  of 
  sandy 
  clay, 
  finely 
  laminated 
  and 
  full 
  of 
  leaves, 
  be- 
  

   coming, 
  in 
  fact, 
  towards 
  the 
  base 
  a 
  mere 
  mass 
  of 
  decayed 
  vegetable 
  

   matter. 
  The 
  leaves 
  contained 
  in 
  them 
  are 
  much 
  handsomer, 
  larger, 
  

   and 
  in 
  far 
  greater 
  variety 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  any 
  other 
  of 
  the 
  beds. 
  From 
  

   this 
  point 
  to 
  the 
  pier 
  no 
  fossiliferous 
  beds 
  are 
  exposed 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  exca- 
  

   vating 
  the 
  foundations 
  of 
  the 
  club-house, 
  which 
  is 
  in 
  their 
  direct 
  

   line 
  of 
  dip, 
  it 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  leaves 
  were 
  met 
  with. 
  

  

  At 
  390 
  paces 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  pier, 
  where 
  the 
  cliffs 
  again 
  rise, 
  and 
  some 
  

   40 
  feet 
  above 
  high 
  water, 
  I 
  find 
  that 
  a 
  bed 
  of 
  dark 
  clay 
  comes 
  in, 
  

   underlain 
  for 
  about 
  100 
  yards 
  by 
  light-coloured 
  sands, 
  filled 
  with 
  an- 
  

   gular 
  blocks 
  of 
  clay. 
  These 
  blocks 
  are 
  mostly 
  of 
  small 
  size 
  ; 
  but 
  they 
  

   contain 
  a 
  flora 
  differing 
  markedly 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  beds 
  

   to 
  the 
  west. 
  Most 
  abundant 
  are 
  fragments, 
  and 
  even 
  perfect 
  leaves, 
  

   of 
  a 
  large 
  aroi'deous 
  plant, 
  of 
  an 
  Araucaria 
  and 
  a 
  Eucalyptus 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  

   is 
  remarkable 
  that 
  while 
  the 
  Araucaria 
  especially 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  

   met 
  with 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  pier, 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  prevailing 
  fossil 
  in 
  all 
  beds 
  east 
  

   of 
  it. 
  Hence 
  to 
  the 
  next 
  chine, 
  350 
  yards 
  distant, 
  the 
  cliffs 
  are 
  

   almost 
  all 
  grit 
  and 
  sand, 
  though 
  in 
  places 
  near 
  their 
  base 
  there 
  is 
  

   much 
  Teredo-hoied 
  wood, 
  some 
  stems 
  measuring 
  12 
  feet 
  long. 
  

   Beyond 
  the 
  chine 
  the 
  clays 
  and 
  sands 
  are 
  much 
  mixed 
  ; 
  and 
  300 
  

   yards 
  beyond 
  the 
  chine 
  the 
  last 
  beds 
  having 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  fresh 
  

   water 
  origin 
  are 
  seen. 
  These 
  are 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  thin, 
  sharply 
  defined 
  

   beds 
  of 
  different 
  composition, 
  brightly 
  coloured, 
  overlain 
  by 
  black 
  

   marine 
  sandy 
  clay 
  and 
  resting 
  upon 
  hard 
  white 
  sand. 
  They 
  contain 
  

   in 
  several 
  places 
  layers 
  of 
  ferns, 
  principally 
  those 
  with 
  reticulated 
  

   venation, 
  belonging 
  to 
  Polypodium 
  and 
  Acrostichum. 
  Beyond 
  this 
  

   there 
  is 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  sands 
  containing 
  broken-up 
  leaf-beds 
  and 
  lignitic 
  

   matter, 
  and 
  then 
  the 
  more 
  regular 
  sequence 
  of 
  the 
  marine 
  series. 
  

   The 
  most 
  eastern 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  freshwater 
  series 
  is 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  * 
  Palaeontogr. 
  Soc. 
  1879, 
  Gardner 
  &Ettingshau8en, 
  Brit. 
  Eocene 
  Flora. 
  

  

  