398 REV. THOMAS BROWN ON THE MOUNTAIN LIMESTONE AND 
3. Limestone L. Line of lower Encrinites. 
Underlying these estuarine beds we have already referred to a thin stratum 
of marine limestone, seen in the cliffs of Pittenween. At various points along the 
coast it again occurs as shown in the section. Its fossils are numerous, and ob- 
viously, even at first sight, similar to those of beds A to F. The following 
kinds have been noticed :— 
Crinoids.—In speaking of the upper limestones, I should have remarked that 
these fossils (the Crinoids) are found everywhere in great profusion in the form 
of detached vertebree or fragments of stems. The bed E, west of Ardross, seems 
to have been a singular storehouse of these remains. Washed out by the sea, they — 
used to lie scattered in thousands along the shore, and under the local name of 
Croupies were familiar as playthings to all the children of Elie. The deposit — 
seems now to be in a great measure exhausted, and those formerly washed out 
are buried by the sand. 
The Crinoids of this lower bed L are smaller and apparently of different species. 
There is among my specimens one Rhodocrinus and one Poteriocrinus, the latter 
showing the head, and being therefore of considerable interest. It has often been 
matter of surprise why the remains of Encrinites in our limestones should consist 
entirely of disjointed stems. “‘ What can have become of the heads of all our — 
Scottish Encrinites?” a leading naturalist once asked me, adding, that of the 
thousands of specimens he had seen he could find nothing but the vertebrae. The 
bold conjecture has, I believe, sometimes been hazarded, that our Scottish En-— 
crinites either never had heads at all or had them of some softer substance than 
their English brethren, so as not to admit of preservation. This somewhat 
whimsical idea might perhaps have been met by asking in reply whether there 
were any analogy to support it; whether other Scottish productions were usually 
more destitute of head or more soft-headed than those of the south? But there 
is really no need for pushing the argument. Specimens enough will be forth- 
coming. Among those here produced is the small head of a Poteriocrinus 
taken from the bed L, the base of the Mountain Limestone, .a little to the south of — 
the Rock and Spindle. 
Corals.—Of these I observed four species, two of which are undetermined. | 
The Cheetetes tumidus is common, and still more so the Fenestella plebeia. 
Shells —Of species not observed in the upper limestones I found the follow- 
ing, viz. :— 
1. Spirifer octoplicatus. 3. Sanguinolites tricostatus. 
2.. Aviculopecten arenosa. 4, Chemnitzia gracilis. 
Of species already found in the beds above, there were — 
1. Productus semi-reticulatus. 
2. Edmondia unioniformis. 
3. Nucula attenuata. 
4, Nucula gibbosa. 
5. Bellerophon decussatus. 
6. Bellerophon Urii. 


