
LOWER CARBONIFEROUS ROCKS OF THE FIFESHIRE COAST. 399 
Of these, the most characteristic shell at Pittenweem is the Productus; and 
at Crail, the Edmondia and the Bellerophons, which are abundant and large. 
These three portions—the upper limestones, the estuarine beds, and the line 
of lower Encrinites—have now been described, and their fossils, when viewed to- 
gether, form an assemblage which all will at once recognise as belonging to the 
Mountain Limestone. To this point I shall afterwards advert. Meantime, no 
one can go over the ground without feeling how singularly rich these deposits are 
in the remains of ancient life. Justice has perhaps hardly been done as yet in this 
respect to our Scottish rocks. Among the Crustaceans and fish we have seen that 
there are not afew additions to be made to our extinct Fauna. Of the forty named 
species of shells recorded in this paper, only twelve are found in Professor Nicou’s 
list of Scottish fossils, and the specimens I have mentioned as unnamed species 
will probably furnish still farther additions. It should be remembered that I 
made no special effort to collect fossils, visited no quarries, asked no assistance, 
took only what came in my way. The naturalist, who should, with time at his 
disposal, take up this work would find his researches richly rewarded. 
ITV.—LOWER CARBONIFEROUS. 
Along these shores there occurs a great body of strata underlying L, the line 
of lower Encrinites. 
A distinguishing feature, which at once strikes the observer, is the great pre- 
_ valence of shell-beds—limestones composed of a single species of bi-valve resem- 
bling Unio, and now placed in the genus Myalina or Anthracosia. It were much 
to be desired that these obscure families were dealt with by some competent natu- 
ralist, and their distinctions satisfactorily made out. Meantime, we must be con- 
tent to refer to them as undetermined species of Myalina. One circumstance 
connected with these bedsis, that they increase as we go eastwards, both in num- 
ber and size. Thus, taking the axis at Anstruther, I found not more than two 
shell-beds to the west, only one of -which is of importance, viz., that lying among 
the strata in front of the town. To the east of the axis there are up to bed L at 
least three shell-bands. The lowest sweeps round from Anstruther, running 
inland at Kilrenny, where it is comparatively thick. Two others were detected 
lying at distant intervals in the series above. Near Fife Ness these shell-bands 
are more fully developed, but it is towards Kingsbarns that they come out in all 
their force as limestones, four or five feet thick, consisting of consolidated shells 
piled above each other in countless myriads. They have been compared to banks 
of mussels, and held to indicate a shallow sea, if not estuarine conditions. There 
is a difficulty, however, in their extent, reaching from St Andrews far beyond 
Dunbar, and from Anstruther to Kingsbarns, getting ever the more fully de- 
veloped. It is to be observed also that those portions of the shore, where there 
are on other grounds the greatest indications of estuarine conditions (as from An- 
