1873.] SHARP OOLITES OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE. 261 



The Cornbrash which based the last section appears at the top of 

 this : beneath the Cornbrash, appears the Great Oolite Clay ; and 

 underlying it, to the depth of 7 feet, is the Great Oolite Limestone 

 of Belmisthorpe and the Stamford Field. From the Clay, I obtained 

 a fine caudal vertebra of Getiosaurus, that largest of all known 

 Saurians ; and this Clay, be it noted, is in the exact relative posi- 

 tion as that at Kirklington in Oxfordshire, whence Professor 

 Phillips obtained the wonderful and unique skeleton with which he 

 has enriched the Oxford Museum. From the Limestone, I collected 

 a large example of Nautilus Baberi, which occurs so abundantly in 

 the Great Oolite Limestone of Northampton, and which equally 

 distinguishes the equivalent bed at Belmisthorpe. The Cornbrash 

 at Banthorpe has yielded Pecten vagans, Sow., and Myacites calcei- 

 f or mis, Phil. sp. 



ESSENDINE, AUNBY, AND DANES' HlIL. 



A mile from Banthorpe, is the Essendine cutting, and at short 

 intervals the Aunby and the Danes'-Hill cuttings. Professor Morris 

 has given the details of these sections with considerable minuteness ; 

 but, as they are not widely separated, and present no differences 

 that will affect my position, I will include them in one general 

 description : — 



The Cornbrash, which bases the Casewick cutting, and caps the 

 Banthorpe section, occurs in patches upon the summit of the section 

 at Danes' Hill, and thus serves to preserve the continuity of the 

 sequence through this widely extended, interesting, and significant 

 series of sections. (See ante, figs. 2 and 3.) 



Below the Cornbrash, (and occurring at Danes' Hill only,) are 

 compact marly and sandy beds, with shells, about 5 feet in thick- 

 ness, which perhaps may be considered equivalent to Forest Marble. 

 These overlie the Great Oolite Clay, containing bands of Ostrea 

 sub-rugulosa in a normal horizontal position, and occasional patches 

 of Serpulce. This clay, in the several sections, varies in thickness 

 from 5 feet to 8 feet. 



Next, in descending order, is the Great Oolite Limestone — 8 feet 

 to 12 feet — described by Professor Morris as a " sandy and marly 

 rock, becoming occasionally very compact, calcareous, bluish, and 

 sometimes shaly " : at Danes' Hill, it is divided by argillaceous 

 bands. From this bed, many Great Oolite fossils have been ob- 

 tained. 



The Upper Estuarine series consists here of numerous bands of 

 very varying sands and clays ; which are sometimes very shaly, 

 sometimes bituminous, and occasionally assume the character of a 

 soft marly rock. The fossils noted are of well-known Great-Oolite 

 forms, interspersed with some of undescribed species. The presence 

 of layers of Gyrena, other estuarine shells, much wood (almost con- 

 verted into jet), and of other vegetable matter, characterizes this 

 bed ; which is traversed at Essendine and Danes' Hill by one band, 

 and at Aunby by two bands, of peculiar plant-growth (precisely 



