﻿STRATA 
  OF 
  THE 
  HAMPSHIRE 
  BASIX. 
  473 
  

  

  by 
  a 
  bed 
  of 
  dark- 
  coloured 
  clay 
  about 
  2 
  feet 
  thick, 
  containing 
  

   numerous 
  impressions 
  of 
  leaves. 
  Overlying 
  this 
  " 
  Leaf-bed 
  " 
  is 
  a 
  

   series 
  of 
  white 
  and 
  grey 
  sands 
  with 
  irregular 
  bands 
  of 
  clay 
  about 
  

   fifteen 
  feet 
  thick. 
  As 
  this 
  division 
  yields 
  many 
  bones 
  of 
  Crocodilus, 
  

   Trionyx, 
  and 
  Emijs, 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  known, 
  especially 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  

   it, 
  to 
  collectors, 
  by 
  whom 
  it 
  is 
  called 
  the 
  " 
  Crocodile-bed." 
  About 
  

   four 
  feet 
  higher 
  we 
  come 
  to 
  a 
  thin, 
  somewhat 
  nodular 
  band 
  of 
  

   marly 
  limestone 
  crowded 
  with 
  specimens 
  of 
  Limncea 
  and 
  Planorbis. 
  

   The 
  thickness 
  of 
  this 
  limestone 
  varies, 
  but 
  may 
  average 
  about 
  sis 
  

   inches. 
  Above 
  the 
  limestone 
  band 
  we 
  find 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  grey 
  and 
  

   green 
  shelly 
  marls 
  and 
  sands 
  with 
  occasional 
  bands 
  of 
  lignite, 
  

   measuring 
  together 
  about 
  20 
  feet. 
  The 
  total 
  thickness 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  

   so 
  far 
  described 
  may 
  be 
  estimated 
  at 
  65 
  feet. 
  

  

  Throughout 
  this 
  thickness 
  of 
  strata 
  the 
  fossils 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  

   generally 
  of 
  freshwater 
  and 
  terrestrial 
  origin. 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  some 
  

   exceptions 
  to 
  this 
  rule 
  ; 
  for 
  at 
  three 
  different 
  horizons 
  specimens 
  of 
  

   Oeriifiium 
  occur, 
  with 
  other 
  indications 
  of 
  the 
  temporary 
  coming 
  in 
  of 
  

   brackish-water 
  conditions. 
  Resting 
  on 
  these 
  strata, 
  however, 
  is 
  

   the 
  celebrated 
  "Marine 
  bed" 
  of 
  Hordwell, 
  which 
  has 
  attracted 
  

   such 
  a 
  considerable 
  amount 
  of 
  attention 
  from 
  geologists. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Webster 
  and 
  Sir 
  Charles 
  Lyell, 
  who 
  published 
  the 
  first 
  

   accounts 
  of 
  the 
  Hordwell 
  cliff, 
  failed 
  to 
  find 
  any 
  trace 
  of 
  a 
  marine 
  

   formation 
  there, 
  although 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  their 
  attention 
  was 
  

   particularly 
  directed 
  to 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  marine 
  

   strata 
  at 
  this 
  horizon. 
  Both 
  these 
  authors, 
  however, 
  record 
  the 
  

   finding 
  of 
  specimens 
  of 
  CeritJiium 
  in 
  fragments 
  which 
  had 
  fallen 
  

   from 
  the 
  cliff. 
  But 
  in 
  1840 
  Mr. 
  F. 
  Edwards 
  detected 
  a 
  thin 
  band 
  

   containing 
  numerous 
  marine 
  shells, 
  which 
  band 
  he 
  succeeded 
  in 
  

   tracing 
  in 
  the 
  cliff 
  for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  300 
  yards. 
  In 
  1843 
  Mr. 
  Searles 
  

   Y. 
  Wood, 
  who 
  examined 
  the 
  cliffs 
  with 
  great 
  minuteness, 
  could 
  

   only 
  trace 
  this 
  band 
  for 
  100 
  yards 
  ; 
  while 
  in 
  1851 
  Dr. 
  Wright 
  only 
  

   found 
  it 
  exposed 
  at 
  one 
  place 
  for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  10 
  yards 
  

   In 
  1853 
  the 
  Marchioness 
  of 
  Hastings 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  bed 
  was 
  nearly 
  

   worked 
  out. 
  Messrs. 
  Keeping 
  and 
  Tawney 
  thought 
  that 
  it 
  had 
  not 
  

   been 
  exposed 
  for 
  28 
  years 
  ; 
  but 
  within 
  the 
  last 
  twenty 
  years, 
  I 
  have 
  

   had 
  the 
  good 
  fortune 
  to 
  find 
  it 
  on 
  two 
  occasions, 
  though 
  during 
  

   numerous 
  other 
  visits 
  I 
  have 
  altogether 
  failed 
  to 
  do 
  so. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Searles 
  Wood 
  estimated 
  the 
  thickness 
  of 
  this 
  bed 
  at 
  only 
  9 
  

   or 
  10 
  inches, 
  while 
  Dr. 
  Wright 
  thought 
  it 
  a 
  little 
  more. 
  The 
  

   Rev. 
  O. 
  Fisher 
  estimates 
  it 
  at 
  5 
  feet, 
  but 
  admits 
  he 
  had 
  never 
  seen 
  

   the 
  bed 
  in 
  section. 
  I 
  found 
  myself 
  that 
  the 
  marine 
  shells 
  were 
  

   confined 
  to 
  a 
  very 
  thin 
  band, 
  certainly 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  foot 
  in 
  

   thickness. 
  Whether 
  this 
  thin 
  seam 
  has 
  altogether 
  disappeared 
  

   through 
  the 
  wearing 
  away 
  of 
  the 
  cliff, 
  as 
  may 
  well 
  happen 
  with 
  

   such 
  thin 
  lenticular 
  patches, 
  or 
  whether 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  concealed 
  under 
  

   the 
  gravels 
  and 
  fallen 
  detritus, 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  able 
  to 
  state 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  fact 
  

   that 
  the 
  band 
  could 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  be 
  traced 
  from 
  the 
  point 
  where 
  it 
  

   rises 
  on 
  the 
  shore 
  to 
  a 
  place 
  where 
  it 
  crops 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  cliff, 
  and 
  that 
  

   I 
  have 
  frequently 
  searched 
  the 
  place 
  where 
  it 
  ought 
  to 
  occur 
  

   Q. 
  J. 
  G. 
  S. 
  No. 
  152. 
  2 
  k 
  

  

  