Vol. 50.] ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT. 77 



With few exceptions, it is only of late years that Upper Devonian 

 rocks have been demonstrated in this district, and even now 

 Mr. Ussher does not think it possible to draw an arbitrary boundary 

 in South Devon between Middle and Upper Devonian below the 

 shaly Goniatite-limestones. Consequently, his generalized sequence 

 in ascending order is : — Massive limestones, Goniatite-limestones 

 and slates. Cypridinen-Schiefer (Entomis-8]ates). Speaking of 

 the lower portions of the series (massive limestone), he states 

 that Dr. Kayser's list from Lower Dunscombe quarry, below the 

 Goniatite-beds, included Rhynclionella cuboides and other well- 

 known brachiopods, such as might be held to infer a lower Frasnian 

 horizon. As regards the Goniatite-beds themselves, it is interesting 

 to note that there are traces of this fauna in the direction of Brix- 

 ham ; this is at Silver Cove, where the junction is said to be in- 

 verted, the thin beds of limestone occurring in their natural position 

 at Galmpton Point. It would savour too much of local geology to 

 enumerate the places where this horizon has been detected, and 

 yet their number is likely to be increased, if we may credit 

 Mr. Ussher that certain ' unfossiliferous ' slates would reveal to a 

 patient searcher traces of the Goniatite-fauna. Lastly, in the map 

 of the distribution of the Devonian rocks between the river Teign 

 and the Haldon Hills we notice, in the midst of a puzzling 

 geological complex, a considerable development of the Cypridinen- 

 Schiefer on both sides of the Teign, but more especially on the 

 north. With the exception of the nodular limestones with Clymenia, 

 mentioned by Dr. Kayser, this completes the Devonian succession 

 in South Devon. 



To sum up, we may say that if there is one point made clearer 

 than another by the study of this region, it is that stratigraphy 

 alone is inadequate to put together a geological puzzle such as South 

 Devon presents : where beds, which were irregularly developed in 

 the first instance, have been squeezed between granite-masses on 

 the north and an axis of upheaval on the south. If I remember 

 Mr. Champernowne's words correctly, matters are still worse on 

 the other side of the Dart, while the difficulties about Tavistock and 

 on the west side of Dartmoor generally are notorious. Mr. Ussher is 

 quite correct in saying that the facts established in his paper have a 

 much wider application than to the district described, since the 

 identification of the Cockington beds as Lower Devonian relates 

 to a large area between the Dart and Plymouth. It is significant 

 that in a geological map of the south-western counties recently 



