﻿ME. 
  W. 
  H. 
  SHELTBSOLE 
  ON 
  THE 
  EADIOLAEIA 
  OF 
  THE 
  LONDON 
  CLAY. 
  

  

  121 
  

  

  7. 
  Notes 
  on 
  the 
  Radiolaeia 
  of 
  tlie 
  London 
  Clay. 
  By 
  W. 
  H. 
  

   Shetjbsole, 
  Esq., 
  F.G.S. 
  (Read 
  November 
  21, 
  1888.) 
  

  

  Miceoscopical 
  examination 
  of 
  London 
  Clay 
  from 
  wells 
  in 
  Sheppey 
  

   and 
  elsewhere, 
  and 
  from 
  pit-sections 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  horizon 
  in 
  different 
  

   parts 
  of 
  the 
  London 
  Basin, 
  continued 
  for 
  some 
  years, 
  has 
  afforded 
  proof 
  

   of 
  the 
  existence 
  near 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  this 
  formation 
  of 
  a 
  Diatoraaceous 
  

   zone, 
  which 
  was 
  constant 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  examination 
  extended. 
  It 
  

   yet 
  remains 
  for 
  some 
  one 
  to 
  ascertain 
  whether 
  this 
  zone 
  continues 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  full 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  London-Clay 
  area. 
  The 
  list 
  of 
  

   specimens 
  given 
  in 
  my 
  paper 
  " 
  On 
  the 
  Diatoms 
  of 
  the 
  London 
  Clay 
  " 
  

   (Journ. 
  Royal 
  Micr. 
  Soc. 
  vol. 
  i. 
  p. 
  381) 
  has 
  since 
  been 
  considerably 
  

   enlarged 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Kitton 
  and 
  others, 
  from 
  washings 
  supplied 
  by 
  

   myself. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  paper 
  " 
  On 
  the 
  New 
  Town 
  Well 
  at 
  Sheerness"(Proc. 
  Geol. 
  

   Assoc, 
  vol. 
  v. 
  p. 
  355), 
  I 
  had 
  previously 
  called 
  attention 
  to 
  60 
  species 
  

   of 
  Eoraminifera 
  and 
  some 
  other 
  microzoic 
  forms 
  not 
  specifically 
  

   mentioned. 
  Among 
  these 
  latter 
  were 
  some 
  reticulated 
  fragments 
  

   suggestive 
  of 
  Radiolaria, 
  but 
  no 
  specimens 
  occurred 
  sufficiently 
  per- 
  

   fect 
  to 
  be 
  described. 
  My 
  friend 
  Dr. 
  Bossey, 
  E.R.M.S., 
  of 
  Redhill, 
  

   was 
  more 
  fortunate 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  than 
  myself, 
  for 
  in 
  1881 
  he 
  saw 
  

   and 
  sketched 
  a 
  Radiolarian 
  skeleton, 
  apparently 
  nearly 
  perfect, 
  which 
  

   he 
  had 
  found 
  in 
  some 
  London-Clay 
  washings 
  sent 
  to 
  him 
  by 
  me. 
  

  

  The 
  formation 
  of 
  a 
  well 
  for 
  the 
  Queenborough 
  Cement 
  Company 
  

   in 
  1885, 
  near 
  the 
  Railway 
  Station, 
  gave 
  me 
  another 
  opportunity 
  of 
  

   searching 
  for 
  new 
  forms 
  of 
  Tertiary 
  life. 
  In 
  accordance 
  with 
  

   previous 
  experience, 
  after 
  passing 
  through 
  a 
  zone 
  rich 
  in 
  Eoramini- 
  

   fera, 
  a 
  few 
  solitary 
  Diatoms 
  only 
  were 
  found, 
  until 
  at 
  225 
  feet 
  from 
  

   the 
  surface 
  the 
  Diatoms 
  occurred 
  in 
  great 
  abundance 
  in 
  brightly 
  

   glittering 
  patches, 
  causing 
  the 
  clay 
  to 
  assume 
  a 
  somewhat 
  laminated 
  

   character. 
  

  

  On 
  washing 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  clay 
  from 
  this 
  level, 
  I 
  found 
  not 
  only 
  the 
  

   familiar 
  Diatoms, 
  but 
  also 
  some 
  fairly 
  good 
  specimens 
  of 
  Radiolaria. 
  

   This 
  material 
  I 
  distributed 
  among 
  correspondents, 
  and 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  

   able 
  to 
  get 
  any 
  more. 
  

  

  Fortunately 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  L. 
  Hammond, 
  E.L.S., 
  had, 
  with 
  his 
  usual 
  

   exactitude, 
  made 
  sketches 
  of 
  some 
  specimens 
  he 
  had 
  seen. 
  

  

  I 
  had 
  sent 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  Radiolarian 
  material 
  to 
  Prof. 
  Ernst 
  Hackel, 
  

   with 
  regard 
  to 
  which 
  he 
  says 
  that 
  " 
  he 
  found 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  

   fragments 
  of 
  Tertiary 
  Radiolaria, 
  and 
  but 
  few 
  well-preserved 
  speci- 
  

   mens. 
  These 
  appertain 
  to 
  the 
  three 
  families 
  of 
  Sphaeroidea, 
  Dis- 
  

   coidea, 
  and 
  Cyrtoidea, 
  and 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  identical 
  with 
  those 
  described 
  

   in 
  1880 
  by 
  Emil 
  Fohr, 
  from 
  the 
  Tertiary 
  beds 
  of 
  Grotte 
  in 
  Sicily 
  *. 
  

   There 
  is 
  no 
  new 
  species 
  among 
  the 
  recognizable 
  forms, 
  but 
  perhaps 
  

   there 
  may 
  be 
  among 
  the 
  numerous 
  fragments." 
  

  

  Wanting 
  more 
  precise 
  information 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  species, 
  and 
  being 
  

   unable 
  to 
  find 
  in 
  the 
  ' 
  Palseontographica 
  ' 
  any 
  forms 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  

   I 
  had 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  London 
  Clay, 
  I 
  sent 
  Mr. 
  Hammond's 
  sketches 
  to 
  

  

  * 
  See 
  ' 
  Palseontographica,' 
  vol. 
  xxvi. 
  1880, 
  p. 
  71. 
  

  

  