E. WILSON ON THE SOUTH-SCARLE SECTION. 813 
among the Yoredale rocks led Prof. Hull to conclude instead that 
the grey earthy limestones, breccia, and red marls, one and all, 
belonged to the uppermost beds of the Coal Measures. That is how 
the matter stands up to the present time. Now, beyond all doubt, 
the grey earthy limestones belong, not to the Carboniferous, but to 
the Permian formation, constituting, in fact, with the overlying dark 
oolitic dolomites and loose sands (?) the Marl Slates; for they are 
identical with the Marl Slates of West Notts in lamination, colour, 
and mineral composition, they yield similar obscure plant-remains, 
and a doubtful shell, ‘‘ either Anthracosia (?) or Awvinus,” the latter of 
which occurs in the Notts Marl Slates; like these, too, they occa- 
sionally become oolitic ; and, finally, they are underlain by a coarse 
greenish grit or breccia, clearly the selfsame bed as that which, as 
described by me on a former occasion, constitutes the base at once 
of the Marl Slates and of the Permian formation (see my paper “ On 
the Permians of the North-east of England,” Q. J. G. S. vol. xxxii. 
p. 533). (Note. The total absence of ironstone in all this thickness 
of grey shales is strongly against their being Coal Measures.) Not 
only, then, are the Marl Slates represented at Scarle, but they there 
attain their greatest known thickness in this country. 
The ‘“ Red Marls” remain to be accounted for. Prof. Hull says 
(Joc. cit.) these shales closely resemble portions of the Upper Coal 
Measures of the North Staffordshire and Manchester coal-fields. 
The question whether productive Coal Measures exist at all, and at 
a workable depth, beneath West Lincolnshire, is a matter not only 
of considerable theoretical interest, but of enormous commercial im- 
portance; and any thing bearing on it should therefore be handled 
with the utmost caution. The red marls from the bottom of the 
Scarle boring certainly do manifest a very close textural agreement 
with certain Upper Coal Measures, ¢. g. those of North Staffordshire, 
On theoretical considerations the occurrence of Upper Coal Measures 
at Scarle is by no means improbable. So far, then, as the red 
marls are concerned, I coincide with the later and more hopeful 
opinion of Prof. Hull; and I venture to think that such opinion will 
be considerably strengthened now that the overlying grey rocks are 
eliminated from the Carboniferous strata and placed with the Per- 
mians, 
In conclusion I append what I believe to be the correct reading 
of the lower portion of the Scarle Section :— 
ft. in 
Down to Lower Magnesian Limestone............ 1801 0O 
Lower Magnesian Limestone ................ees-:00e 26 0 
_, (Marl Slates: dark oolitic dolomites ... 58 0O 
ay [ ee Se eure ee 16 0 
a thin-bedded grey argil- 
Ee { a aa laceous _— dolomites, | ime Qi Be 2 
pS sandstones, and shale 
— [ cs basement breccia ......0.0 i) 
eae oo ae dules of hematite, penetrated to... 
Total depth 2080 0 
Q.J.G.8. No. 140 31 
Car- | Upper eee indurated Marls with ne 10 0 
