MR DAVID MILNE HOME ON THE BOULDER-CLAY OF EUROPE. G71 



species of marine shells from boulder-clay at Scarborough and Whitby, on the 

 Yorkshire coast. These shells were discovered by Mr Lackenby and Mr Jeffreys, 

 both recognised authorities.* 



The Rev. Mr Crosskey, Vice-President of the Glasgow Geological Society, well 

 known for his knowledge of drift deposits, states that he found boulder-clay near 

 Sunderland, " containing fragments of broken shells and many Entomostraca and 

 Foraminifera." f That gentleman adds that he had found shells in boulder-clay 

 on the banks of the Mersey and on the coasts of Ireland. 



In boulder-clay, near Tynemouth (Northumberland), fragments of Cyprina 

 islandica have been found by two accurate observers, Mr Howse and Mr Binnie 

 of Manchester.^ 



Dr Thomas Brown, in the paper recently published in the Transactions of this 

 Society, § has given a list of above twenty species of sea-shells found at Errol 

 (Perthshire), and at Elie (Fifeshire). Dr Brown mentions (p. 630), that at both 

 places the shells were in a bed resting on the boulder-clay. I had an opportunity 

 lately, in company with Dr Brown, of examining the deposit at Elie containing 

 these shells, and found that it consisted of a hard or tough clay of a dark grey 

 colour, presenting no stratification, and containing abundance of hard pebbles 

 and boulders, all rounded and some of them scratched. It had the usual appear- 

 ance of boulder-clay, and I expressed this opinion to Dr Brown. 



The Elie deposit I have not seen ; but from the account given of it in Dr 

 Brown's paper, and also by Mr Jameson, I cannot doubt that it also is a true 

 boulder-clay. In the section which Dr Brown gives in his paper, he represents 

 boulders in the deposit ; and he expressly says that the shells " are found cluster- 

 ing around and beneath the enclosed boulders, a fact which seems to show that 

 at the time these shells lived, this part of the sea-bottom must have been swept 

 by a strong current." Dr Brown adds, that he had obtained from the Errol 

 deposit " portions of the skeleton of a seal." Mr Jameson says, that in the deposit 

 at Errol containing Arctic shells — being the same bed mentioned in Dr Brown's 

 paper — he found many of the included boulders "glacially scratched — occasionally 

 one may be found with barnacles on it;" and he adds, that "Entomostraca of 

 the genus Cythere also occur." ]| 



In Canada, where till or boulder-clay abounds, marine shells have been found 

 in the deposit. (Amer. Journ. of Science for 1866, vol. lxxxvii. p. 235.) 



The fact of sea-shells, of various species, having thus been found in great 

 numbers, and at places far distant from each other, in the boulder-clay, seems 

 so conclusive as to the marine origin of the deposit, as to render further evi- 



* Brit. Assoc. Reports for 1864, p. 58 ; R. S. E. Tr. vol. xxiv. p. 617. 



f Trans. Glasg. Geol. Soc. vol. iii. p. 150. 



\ Berwickshire Nat. Club, vol. v. p. 238. 



§ Vol. xxiv. 



I Proceed, of Lond. Geolog. Society for January 1865, pp. 175 and 196. 



VOL. XXV. PART II. 8 M 



