526 



ME. G. M. COOKIE" ON" LOWEE CAEBONIFEEOTJS [Aug. I906, 



then a Clifton boy of thirteen — a nephew of Prof. Bonney — drew my 

 attention to some fossils that he had found there. He had already 

 shown them to Prof. Bonney, who had explained to him the anomaly 

 and also the importance of placing the matter beyond doubt : the 

 credit of the discovery is entirely due to Mr. Wetherall. 



Subsequent search has led to the discovery of a quantity of 

 fossils belonging to the Lower Carboniferous Limestone. The 

 fossils occur in a dark shaly limestone or in a calcareous grit, 

 occasionally stained red. Some are weathered from long exposure 

 on the heap. In no case has the limestone any appearance of 

 being water-worn, but is in the condition in which it would be after 

 being blasted out in situ. The fossils have been submitted to and 

 named by Dr. Wheelton Hind, F.K.C.S., F.G.S., and are as 

 follows : — 



Brachiopoda. 



Atliyris planosulcata, Phil. 

 Chonetes laguessiana, de Kon. 

 Orthothetes crenistria, Phil. 

 Product us giganteus, Martin. 

 Productus longispinus, Sow. 

 Productus punctatus, Martin. 

 Productus semireticulatus, Martin. 

 Bhipidomella Michelini, Leveille. 

 Seminula ambigua, Sow, 

 Spirifer planicostatus, M'Coy. 

 Spiriferina cristata, Schlotheim. 



Cephalopoda— a fragment. 



Corals. 



Amplexizaphrentis, Vaughan, MS, 

 Millepora rhombifera. Phil. 



C r i n o i d ea — Stem- j oints. 



Gasteropoda —Platyschisma (?) . 



E c h i n o i cl e a — Archceocidaris Urei (?) 

 Fleming (plates). 



Lamellibranchiata— Parcdlelodon 

 sp. 



Fish-remains— Scales and teeth . 



The position of Fair Oak with respect to the Cannock-Chase 

 portion of the South Staffordshire Coalfield is shown on the plan 

 (fig. 1, p. 524) ; one of the most important features there represented 

 is the supposed area of denudation of all the workable seams, indi- 

 cated by the shaded portion. The area has been proved, to a certain 

 extent, by mining operations ; the denuded portion has been largely 

 replaced by Bunter Conglomerates. 



Fig. 2 (p. 527) shows the position of the Lower Carboniferous 

 rocks, so far as can be ascertained at No. 1 Fair Oak. This (as 

 already stated) is about 5 miles north of the deep sinking and bore- 

 hole at No. 2 Cannock-Chase Colliery. The Bunter Conglomerates 

 overlying the Coal-Measures thicken gradually northward, until they 

 attain their maximum thickness of 300 feet at Fair Oak. About 

 1 mile south-east of Fair Oak a trial-shaft and heading at the South 

 Staffordshire Waterworks encountered what was believed to be 

 the Shallow Coal, cropping up into the Gravel-Beds ; it is probable 

 that this marks the edge of the denudation referred to: further 

 confirmation of this is required, and it is hoped that future 

 mining operations will settle the point and prove the actual extent 

 of the denudation. It will be understood that the fault shown 

 at C in fig. 2 is hypothetical, and is only introduced as affording 

 one explanation of the existence of Carboniferous Limestone at that 

 locality. 



