﻿COTTESWOLD, 
  MID 
  FORD, 
  AND 
  YEOVIL 
  SANDS, 
  ETC. 
  453 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  be 
  advantageous 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  thorough 
  comparison 
  of 
  the 
  

   yellow 
  sands 
  as 
  exhibited 
  in 
  the 
  Cotteswolds, 
  around 
  Bath, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   Dorset-Somerset 
  area. 
  

  

  Without 
  taking 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  development 
  north 
  of 
  Haresfield 
  

   Beacon, 
  which 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  generally 
  unimportant, 
  we 
  may 
  divide 
  this 
  

   district 
  into 
  two 
  portions 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  I. 
  The 
  Cotteswolds. 
  

  

  A. 
  The 
  Haresfield-Wotton 
  district. 
  — 
  Here 
  the 
  sands 
  average 
  

   about 
  150 
  feet 
  in 
  thickness, 
  of 
  light 
  yellow, 
  micaceous, 
  sandy 
  strata, 
  

   with 
  occasional 
  lines 
  of 
  hardened, 
  bluish-grey 
  sand-rock 
  (sometimes 
  

   in 
  huge 
  lenticular 
  masses). 
  At 
  the 
  very 
  base 
  is 
  a 
  dark-brown 
  bed, 
  

   chiefly 
  filled 
  with 
  dwarf 
  specimens 
  of 
  Hildoceras 
  bifrons 
  (Stinchcombe). 
  

   Forty 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  base 
  occurs 
  a 
  bluish-grey 
  sandstone 
  filled 
  with 
  

   numerous 
  fine 
  specimens 
  of 
  Hildoceras 
  bifrons 
  (compressed 
  variety), 
  

   and 
  with 
  Pseudol. 
  compactile 
  occasionally 
  (Coaley 
  Wood). 
  About 
  25 
  

   feet 
  above 
  this 
  come 
  sundry 
  bands 
  of 
  sandstone 
  &c, 
  with 
  Haugia 
  

   variabilis, 
  Dactylioceras 
  crassum, 
  Lytoceras 
  sublineatum* 
  . 
  Above 
  this 
  

   come 
  sandy 
  rock-bands 
  (Nibley) 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  Ammonites, 
  among 
  them 
  

   Haugia, 
  sp. 
  The 
  last 
  50 
  or 
  60 
  feet 
  apparently 
  contain 
  no 
  fossils. 
  

  

  B. 
  The 
  Sodburg 
  district. 
  — 
  The 
  sands 
  here 
  are 
  only 
  about 
  40 
  feet 
  

   thick. 
  The 
  lower 
  15-20 
  feet 
  are 
  concealed, 
  and 
  their 
  contents 
  could 
  

   not 
  be 
  ascertained. 
  The 
  upper 
  part 
  contained 
  frequent 
  bands 
  of 
  

   sandstone, 
  with 
  Gramm. 
  striatulum, 
  Pseudol. 
  compactile, 
  Haugia 
  

  

  occidentalis, 
  &c. 
  

  

  II. 
  The 
  Bath 
  District. 
  

  

  The 
  Midford 
  Sands. 
  — 
  These 
  are 
  about 
  100 
  feet 
  thick. 
  They 
  are 
  

   fine, 
  yellow, 
  micaceous 
  sands 
  with 
  numerous 
  lines 
  of 
  small 
  rounded 
  

   "Burrs" 
  — 
  a 
  greyish 
  calcareous 
  sandstone. 
  The 
  sands 
  rest 
  on 
  an 
  

   oolitic 
  limestone 
  containing 
  Gramm. 
  striatulum. 
  In 
  the 
  " 
  sand- 
  

   burrs 
  " 
  of 
  the 
  sand 
  just 
  above 
  this 
  bed, 
  Gramm. 
  faUaciosum 
  is 
  found 
  

   (Lyncombe 
  Tunnel). 
  Whether 
  this 
  or 
  anything 
  different 
  is 
  found 
  

   in 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  I 
  cannot 
  say, 
  as 
  my 
  researches 
  at 
  Midford 
  were 
  

   negative 
  in 
  their 
  results. 
  

  

  * 
  At 
  North 
  Nibley 
  two 
  beds, 
  about 
  40 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  sands, 
  and 
  

   perhaps 
  on 
  a 
  little 
  lower 
  level 
  than 
  the 
  one 
  at 
  Coaley, 
  contain 
  Haugia 
  variabilis, 
  

   Lytoceras 
  sublineatum, 
  Pseudolioceras 
  compactile, 
  Dactylioceras 
  crassum, 
  Nautilus 
  

   Joardani, 
  &c. 
  

  

  A 
  bed 
  of 
  brown 
  hardened 
  marl 
  in 
  the 
  sands 
  at 
  Chalford 
  and 
  Nailsworth, 
  

   prjbably 
  on 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  horizon, 
  contains 
  Haugia 
  variabilis, 
  Dactyl, 
  crassum, 
  

   and 
  Dactyl, 
  mucronatum. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Quart. 
  Journ. 
  G-eol. 
  Soc. 
  vol. 
  xvi. 
  p. 
  5, 
  Dr.Wright 
  states 
  that 
  this 
  bed 
  (his 
  

   bed 
  e) 
  contains 
  A.jurcnsis, 
  A.insignis, 
  A. 
  radians, 
  and 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  Conchifera 
  of 
  the 
  

   Cephalopoda-bed 
  which 
  he 
  calls 
  a. 
  I 
  particularly 
  investigated 
  this 
  point, 
  which 
  

   was 
  totally 
  at 
  variance 
  with 
  my 
  experience 
  on 
  the 
  escarpment, 
  and 
  I 
  can 
  

   positively 
  say 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  mistake, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  Ammonites 
  go. 
  The 
  bed 
  in 
  the 
  sands 
  

   and 
  the 
  Cephalopoda-bed 
  contain 
  only 
  one 
  species 
  in 
  common, 
  viz. 
  Amm. 
  compac- 
  

   ti/is. 
  The 
  Ammonites 
  he 
  quotes 
  are 
  not 
  found 
  in 
  this 
  bed. 
  The 
  distinctness 
  of 
  

   the 
  Ammonite-fauna 
  at 
  the 
  two 
  horizons 
  is 
  also 
  conclusively 
  shown 
  by 
  an 
  inves- 
  

   tigation 
  of 
  a 
  collection 
  made 
  by 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Smith 
  of 
  Nailsworth, 
  to 
  whom 
  my 
  

   thanks, 
  are 
  due 
  for 
  liberty 
  to 
  inspect 
  the 
  same 
  and 
  for 
  other 
  information. 
  

  

  