490 H. J. EUNSON ON THE RANGE OF THE 
granular quartz, probably from a vein. The other grains are more 
difficult to identify ; some are felspar, many probably decomposed 
felspar, others may be rock-fragments, but the structure is not defi- 
nite enough, or the grains sufficiently well preserved, to enable me 
to speak positively. The grains appear to be set in a fine granular 
matrix.” 
Bed 93, at 932 feet.—< This rock is rather lighter in colour and 
looser in texture ; it contains-numerous granules and galls of a pale 
green muddy-looking material, which give a distinct character to 
the hand-specimens. On the whole, cavities are more numerous 
and slightly larger in the quartz-grains; bubbles are only occa- 
sionally present, but perhaps are relatively a little larger.” 
Bed 95, at 942 feet.—** A moderately coarse grit, containing fairly 
rounded granules of quartz, whitish to purple in colour, and a yel- 
lowish earthy-looking material, probably decomposed felspar, set in 
a hard light-coloured matrix. There is now and then a small quartz 
pebble, about as large as a pea. As regards the microscopic struc- 
ture, there is little to add to the remarks already made, except that 
the cavities are very abundant in the quartz, and moving bubbles 
not very unfrequent. One quartz-grain contains a erystal of a 
greenish mica. The cement exhibits cleavage-planes, and is an 
impure calcite.” 
Bed 97, at 958 feet‘ This rock approaches in general appear- 
ance to bed 93, but has less of the green constituent. The cement 
is calcareous.” 
Whether this series of coarse sandstones, grits, and marls repre- 
sents the Old Red Sandstone, or whether they must be classed as 
Lower Carboniferous, is a matter of some doubt. 
In examining these rocks Professor Bonney remarked their simi- 
larity to some of the pebbles in the Bunter beds of Staffordshire, and 
even to the Torridon Sandstone of Scotland, which he had suggested * 
as the source of some hard quartz felspar grits in the former. He 
has, however, pointed out to me that although bed 95 bears a con- 
siderable resemblance at first sight to the pebbles in Staffordshire, 
the resemblance is not so close under the microscope. In it. the 
calcareous cement is a very marked feature; but in six different spe- 
cimens collected in the neighbourhood of Rugeley which he has 
examined it is not seen; and the cementing material in some cases 
is certainly quartz. Both have undoubtedly derived their materials 
from a common source, viz. granitoid rocks of Archean age. Again, 
the peculiar hard quartzites of the Bunter pebbles have not been 
struck in this boring. Still the Bunter has evidently been derived 
from many sources, and this ridge beneath Northampton may have 
furnished its quota. 
As in the other boring, saline water was met with. It contained 
about 1500 grains of mineral salts per gallon, and had a specific 
gravity of 1:015. The yield, however, did not amount to 100,000 gals. 
* Geol. Mag. vol. vii. p. 404, and vol. x. p. 199. 
MERA; 
ee 
