744. PROF. J. W. JUDD ON THE NATURE AND RELATIONS OF 
Oolites at Richmond are similar to those of the strata of the same age 
in the Boulonnais. 
TX. THe Great-Ooxrire Srrata at Mussrs. Mevx’s WELL 
In THE TotrrennAam Court Roap. 
In the deep well which was sunk in the year 1878 at Messrs. 
Meux & Co.’s Brewery at the junction of Tottenham Court Road 
with Oxford Street, some very interesting strata were met with 
after the Gault had been penetrated and before the Devonian rocks 
were reached*. These strata, which included limestones of a re- 
markably oolitic structure, had a thickness of 64 ft. 
From some very imperfect casts of fossils which were found in 
these beds, they were, at‘ the time of their discovery, referred to 
the Neocomian system. The late Mr. Charles Moore of Bath, by 
carefully washing portions of these rocks, obtained from them many 
minute fossils, most of which were crushed and fragmentary, while 
many among them were rendered more obscure by their being 
either waterworn or coated with a crust of calcic carbonate, which 
had been deposited on their surfaces as they lay on the sea-bottom. 
So imperfect were these fossils, that Mr. Moore for the most part 
contented himself with placing on record the genus or family ‘to 
which they belonged. It is worthy of remark, however, that 
Mr. Moore was struck with the number of genera in these deposits 
which had not been found in strata younger than the Jurassic. 
Even some Jurassic species, such as Thecidium triangulare, @Orb., 
were identified ; but Mr. Moore, believing that the Neocomian age of 
the beds had been fully established, regarded the finding of Jurassic 
genera and species as simply proofs of an upward extension of the 
range of those forms. 
The similarity of the undoubted Great-Oolite beds of Richmond 
to those found at Meux’s Brewery between the Gault and Devo- 
nian, convinced me that the question of the age of these beds called 
for the most careful reexamination. This task was not an easy 
one, for unfortunately most of the specimens of these rocks obtained 
at Meux’s Brewery are scattered or lost. Prof. Prestwich and the 
officers of the Geological Survey kindly placed at my disposal some 
of the specimens of these rocks which were in their possession ; and 
the Rev. H. H. Winwood of Bath made the most careful inquiries 
concerning the specimens examined by the late Mr. Charles Moore. 
Although the minute fossils worked out by that paleontologist could 
not at first be identified, yet Mr. Winwood kindly lent me all the 
specimens from the well, with their depth marked upon them, which 
he was able to find. Lastly, Mr. Gilding, the manager to Messrs. 
Meux & Oo., and Mr. Picking, their engineer, have furnished me 
with every information and assistance which was in their power. 
There are some very serious and striking discrepancies between 
the accounts given by different authors concerning the nature and 
order of succession of the strata which in Messrs. Meux’s well were 
found between the Gault and the Devonian. This has apparently 
* See the papers of Prof. Prestwich (Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. vol. xxxiv, 
(1878), p. 902), and Mr. C. Moore (ibid. p. 914). 
