38 An Excursion to the Crag District. 



of " superphosphate," has tempted Mr. Colchester to a new- 

 arid more attractive spot at Koyston. The nodules of this 

 coprolitic deposit of the Crag contain numerous organic 

 remains, some of which, such as the Crustacea, teeth of fishes, 

 etc., appear to have "been derived from the debris of the 

 London clay, and some few from still earlier formations ; but 

 the larger proportion, including the mammalian teeth and 

 bones, most probably represent the wreck of the Miocene or 

 Middle Tertiary series, so well developed in France and 

 Germany, but (with the exception of the Bovey-Tracey lignite 

 and the Hempstead beds in the Isle of Wight) almost un- 

 known on this side of the Channel. They are certainly the 

 oldest part of the Crag formation. 



We were rowed across the Deben in a small boat, and, 

 leaving the river, walked up the hill through the village of 

 Bawdsey to Alderton. We should have done wisely had we 

 halted here for the night; but as Mr. Searles Wood had 

 told us that Eamsholt Dock Inn was the place he staid at 

 some years before when working at the Crag, we determined 

 to put up there, as it was only two and a half miles beyond 

 Alderton. My friend and I tried it for one night, and our 

 advice to collectors intending to go there at night as we did 

 is — Don't ! 



Early next morning we started out again, and five minutes' 

 walk brought us to the river-side and the Crag, and we were 

 soon at work poking away at the bright red-stained Crag- 

 bank. This is the hardest Eed Crag I have seen ; the per- 

 centage of iron is much greater, causing it to cake firmly 

 together, and resist disintegration. The strata are very 

 curiously false-bedded, and there is a good illustration of un- 

 conformability between the upper and lower beds. We pro- 

 cured here very fine specimens of Fusus antiquus, Natica 

 -millepunctata, and Trochus zizi'phinus. 



Passing up the river side, we came to a small plantation, 

 In which is a Crag-pit, with a bed of Modiolce in situ ; but 

 the valves lie so close together, and are so brittle, that it is 

 almost impossible to obtain an entire specimen. 



Leaving the river, we ascended the hill towards Mr. Col- 

 chester's farm at Sutton. We saw the first large accumulation 

 of " Coprolite" here, lying at the entrance to a field, probably 

 twenty tons ; we picked up a water-worn tooth of the great 

 shark Garcharodon, and another of Lamna, but no good exam- 

 ples of coprolites, although some pieces showed the twisted 

 form slightly. 



On inquiring for Mr. Wood (Mr. Colchester's steward), he 

 soon appeared, and was most obliging and attentive to us 

 throughout. He amused us by pulling from his pocket a 



