522 PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [June 17, 



in Long Sleddale, of Skelgill Beck near Ambleside, and of Apple- 

 tree Worth Beck near Broughton. The second subdivision, com- 

 prising the true " flags," is also rich in Graptohtes ; but these be- 

 long to few genera, and, owing to the prevalence of the cleavage, 

 they are usually obtained with difficulty and in a state of bad pre- 

 servation. The flags of Broughton Moor, in Purness, belong to this 

 subdivision; but the Graptolites which they yield form a notable 

 exception to the above statement, since they are usually preserved 

 in the most exquisite relief. The third and highest subdivision, 

 that of the " sheer-bate" flags, also contains a few Graptolites ; but 

 these are invariably very badly preserved, and I have not been 

 able to determine with exactness the existence of more than a 

 single species. 



Looking at the Graptolites of the Coniston Flags as a whole, it 

 will be seen from the following list that the great majority of the 

 species are Lower Silurian, there being, however, a small admixture 

 of Upper-Silurian forms in the upper two subdivisions of the series. 

 The Graptolites of the lowest subdivision, with the exception of Grap- 

 tolites priodon, are entirely Lower- Silurian species, and all, except 

 those now described for the first time, are familiar as occurring in 

 the Upper Llaudeilo rocks of the south of Scotland. In justifica- 

 tion of this statement it is simply necessary to quote the well- 

 known names of Dialog rapsus pristis, His., D.palmeus, Barr., Clima- 

 cograpus teretiusculus , His., Rastrites peregrinus, Barr., Graptolites 

 SedgwicJcii, Portl., G. Sagittarius, Linn., G. Nilssoni, Barr., &c. The 

 total absence, as far as is yet known, of the genus Didymograpsus^ 

 so common in the Graptolitiferous rocks of J3umfriesshire, is no- 

 ticeable, as well as the presence of Rastrites Linncei and R. peregri- 

 nus, for the first time found in Britain in strata younger than the 

 Upper Llandeilo. In the second subdivision, comprising the flags of 

 Broughton Moor, four species are all that I have been able to make out 

 satisfactorily, viz. Graptolites Sedgwickii, Portl., G. priodon, Bronn, 

 G. colonus, Barr., and Retiolites Geinitzianus, Barr. Of these, G. Sedg- 

 wickii is the only one which can be used for purposes of classifica- 

 tion, it being a familiar Lower- Silurian fossil in Britain. The 

 remaining three are as much Upper as Lower Silurian forms, G, 

 priodon ranging from the Upper Llandeilo to the Ludlow rocks in- 

 clusive, whilst Retiolites Geinitzianus is usually quoted as a "Wenlock 

 species. In the "sheer-bate" beds at the lop of the series there 

 occurs only one species which can be accurately made out ; and 

 this is apparently identical with G. colonus, Barr. I may mention 

 that this same species passes up into the Coniston Grits, this and 

 G. priodon being apparently the only survivors, in the Grits, of the 

 rich Graptolitic fauna of the Flags, G. sagitta^^ius being a doubtful 

 exception. 



The following list of the Graptolites of the Coniston Plags is de- 

 rived entii'cly from specimens collected by myself, with the excep- 

 tion of the examples from the flags of Broughton Moor, for which I 

 am indebted to Mr. Morris of Ulverstone. 



It will be seen that there are altogether twenty-four species, of 



