522 PHOSPHATIC CHALKS OP WINTERBOTJRNE AND BOXFORD. [Aug. J906, 



in both localities. It was noteworthy that the character of the 

 phosphates suggested a place where small fishes had thriven and fed, 

 rather than one where they had died. The deposit differed from 

 most fish-beds, in the fact that coprolites were numerous out of all 

 proportion to bones. It was still a question what the fishes were, 

 and where they left their bones. 



Mr. Treacher, having thanked the Chairman (Dr. J. E. Marr) and 

 the Fellows for their kind reception of the paper, said that the failure 

 of Mr. Strahan to find this particular deposit during his search 

 for Phosphatic Chalk some years ago, after his discovery at Taplow, 

 might be explained by the fact that the exposure at Winterbourne 

 was a very small one in the middle of a field, out of the way 

 of any public road, and, that much of the evidence given in the 

 paper was obtained by the Authors by making small excavations 

 in the ploughed fields for the purpose. As was mentioned in the 

 paper, the first discovery of the belemnites and other fossils was 

 due to the interest taken in geology by members of the family of 

 Mr. George Baylis, of Wyfield Manor, on whose land nearly the 

 whole of the chalk dealt with is situated. This is a good instance 

 of the useful work which local geologists may do, even if only 

 beginners in the science. 



With reference to Mr. Strahan's remark as to the abundance of 

 coprolites of small fishes found in the Phosphatic Chalk and the 

 comparative scarcity of their bones, it might be observed that many 

 minute chips of bone did occur, and that much of the material might 

 have been dissolved and the phosphate therefrom taken up by 

 foraminifera, shells of molluscs, and other organic remains, which 

 were found in a more or less phosphatized condition. The swarms 

 of belemnites might also have had something to do with it. 



Mr. H. J. Osborne White remarked that there was still much to 

 be learned about the structure of those parts of the country that 

 were occupied by the Chalk. The preparation of a zonal map of the 

 formation was much to be desired. He joined Mr. Treacher in 

 thanking the Eellows for the reception accorded to the paper. 



