﻿80 
  REV. 
  W. 
  DOWNE3 
  ON 
  THE 
  BLACKDOWN 
  BEDS. 
  

  

  with 
  those 
  of 
  Haldon 
  has 
  yet 
  been 
  made 
  ; 
  and 
  to 
  do 
  this 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  main 
  objects 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  paper. 
  

  

  Comparison 
  of 
  Blackdown 
  with 
  Haldon. 
  

  

  The 
  beds 
  at 
  Blackdown 
  have 
  been 
  in 
  part, 
  but 
  only 
  in 
  part, 
  de- 
  

   scribed 
  by 
  Fitton 
  ; 
  for 
  his 
  description 
  refers 
  almost 
  entirely 
  to 
  the 
  

   beds 
  quarried 
  for 
  whetstones, 
  which 
  beds 
  are 
  less 
  than 
  a 
  third 
  of 
  

   the 
  whole 
  supra-triassic 
  series. 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  know 
  of 
  any 
  detailed 
  de- 
  

   scription 
  of 
  Haldon 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  comparison 
  of 
  Blackdown 
  and 
  Haldon 
  

   beds, 
  which 
  I 
  shall 
  presently 
  give, 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  very 
  much 
  assisted, 
  

   as 
  regards 
  the 
  Haldon 
  area, 
  by 
  the 
  previous 
  though 
  unpublished 
  ob- 
  

   servations 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Yicary 
  of 
  Exeter. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  days 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Fitton 
  pits 
  were 
  being 
  worked 
  at 
  Blackdown 
  

   almost 
  continuously 
  for 
  a 
  mile 
  and 
  a 
  half, 
  and 
  at 
  intervals 
  still 
  

   further. 
  At 
  the 
  present 
  date 
  three 
  only 
  are 
  being 
  worked 
  on 
  the 
  

   eastern 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  ridge, 
  and 
  all 
  have 
  been 
  closed 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  

   escarpment. 
  Some 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  lattter, 
  however, 
  have 
  been 
  open 
  

   since 
  my 
  residence 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood. 
  These 
  pits, 
  with 
  the 
  help 
  

   of 
  cart-tracks 
  and 
  road-sections 
  and 
  frequent 
  conversations 
  with 
  

   workmen, 
  have 
  given 
  me, 
  I 
  think, 
  a 
  fairly 
  clear 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  structure 
  

   of 
  the 
  hill. 
  

  

  In 
  determining 
  the 
  zones 
  of 
  fossils 
  at 
  Blackdown 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  

   guided 
  by 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  1. 
  Seeing 
  them 
  in 
  situ, 
  or 
  breaking 
  up 
  at 
  leisure 
  rock-matter 
  

   brought 
  to 
  my 
  house 
  from 
  a 
  known 
  bed 
  ; 
  

  

  2. 
  Lithological 
  characters 
  of 
  the 
  matrix 
  ; 
  

  

  3. 
  Comparison 
  of 
  information 
  independently 
  given 
  by 
  different 
  

   workmen. 
  

  

  At 
  Haldon 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  guided 
  by 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  1. 
  Seeing 
  the 
  fossils 
  in 
  situ 
  ; 
  

  

  2. 
  Information 
  given 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Yicary. 
  

  

  I 
  begin 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  series, 
  and 
  proceed 
  in 
  ascending 
  

   order. 
  

  

  Bed 
  1. 
  At 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  Blackdown 
  is 
  found 
  about 
  30 
  feet 
  of 
  whity- 
  

   brown 
  sand 
  rock, 
  perfectly 
  homogeneous 
  throughout, 
  with 
  no 
  trace 
  of 
  

   fossils*, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  am 
  aware, 
  and 
  no 
  sign 
  of 
  current-bedding. 
  The 
  

   workmen 
  call 
  it 
  " 
  white 
  rock." 
  

  

  Bed 
  2. 
  " 
  Soft 
  fine 
  vein"=bed 
  8 
  of 
  Fitton, 
  a 
  thin 
  layer 
  of 
  con- 
  

   cretions, 
  generally 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  inches 
  in 
  thickness, 
  used 
  for 
  scythe 
  - 
  

   stones. 
  

  

  Bed 
  3=bed 
  7 
  of 
  Fitton, 
  and 
  called 
  by 
  him 
  "Rock-sand." 
  I 
  

   find 
  that 
  the 
  workmen 
  now 
  call 
  it 
  " 
  Bottom-rock." 
  It 
  is 
  about 
  4 
  

   feet 
  in 
  thickness, 
  and 
  of 
  darker 
  colour 
  than 
  the 
  sand 
  rock 
  of 
  bed 
  1 
  

   beneath 
  it. 
  There 
  are 
  very 
  few 
  fossils 
  ; 
  but 
  perhaps 
  Trigonia 
  

   aliformis 
  is 
  the 
  prevalent 
  one. 
  

  

  Bed 
  4=bed 
  6 
  of 
  Fitton. 
  " 
  Bottom 
  stones." 
  Concretions 
  used 
  

   for 
  whetstones, 
  varying 
  (as 
  Fitton 
  says) 
  from 
  a 
  few 
  inches 
  to 
  about 
  

   5 
  feet. 
  T. 
  aliformis, 
  Pectunculus 
  umbonatus, 
  Inoceramus 
  sulcatus. 
  

  

  Bed 
  5. 
  " 
  Burrows," 
  concretions 
  somewhat 
  coarser 
  than 
  the 
  last, 
  

   * 
  Mr. 
  Meyer 
  tells 
  me 
  that 
  he 
  has 
  found 
  a 
  very 
  few 
  in 
  this 
  bed. 
  

  

  