60 MIDDLE ALBIAN STRATIGRAPHY 



The presence of the eodentatus Subzone is suggested by Cleoniceras? devisense 

 Spath (1923a ; pi. IV, fig. 7a, b) and Hoplites cunningtoni Spath (1923a ; 109, pi. VIII, 

 fig. 8a, b). Specimens of Cleoniceras (C.) are known from the eodentatus Subzone in 

 France but they are very rare and Mrs. P. Jennings has obtained one undoubted 

 lyelli Subzone example from Badbury Wick. Hoplites cunningtoni is a late Otohoplites, 

 a genus also known to occur in the eodentatus Subzone elsewhere in southern England 

 and in France. The lyelli Subzone is indicated by ammonites such as Beudanticeras 

 laevigatum and Hoplites (H.) baylei, and the spathi Subzone sediments are still ex- 

 posed. The most important result of the present study is the discovery of a 

 reasonably thick sequence of sediments of intermedius Subzone age at Caen Hill. This 

 occurrence and that at Didcot (p. 63) represents the first time that the subzone has 

 been recorded in this area of the outcrop in Wiltshire and Berkshire. 



Spath (1943 ; 745) followed Osborne-White (1925 ; 39) in considering that the 

 lautus Zone was present in the Gault of the Devizes area. This opinion was based 

 on material obtained by Cunnington from the long since vanished brickpit at Dun- 

 kirk. However, Jukes-Browne (1900 ; 252, 1905 ; 16) lists Inoceramus sulcatus as 

 well as /. concentricus and it is quite possible that this indicates the orbignyi Subzone. 

 This particular record of the lautus Zone should be treated at this time with caution. 



The brick pit at Caen Hill is still in work. It was formerly owned by the Devizes 

 Brick & Tile Co. Ltd., but now by Messrs Hills of Swindon Ltd. It is situated on the 

 W. side of Caen Hill and has been worked eastwards into the hill exposing the section 

 given in text-fig. 26. A dip of 3 towards the E. is present. The lyelli Subzone 

 sediments are seldom exposed now, and no satisfactory section has been seen by the 

 writer. It is possible that ' Division ' 4 (text-fig. 25) of the Warminster-Devizes area 

 is the same as Bed 2 of my section. If this is the case then the pre-spathi Subzone 

 sediments are thick at Caen Hill. 



Beds 1 to 5 contain Hoplites (H.) spp., such as H. (H.) dentatus and H. (H.) 

 maritimus, indicating the spathi Subzone together with a good benthonic fauna of 

 bivalves and gastropods. A shell seam 3 feet (0-914 m.) above the base of Bed 7 

 contains crushed evolute Anahoplites oigrimsdalei type and ribbed forms comparable 

 to A . evolutus and A . osmingtonensis together with occasional specimens of Hoplites 

 {H.). This association continues through part of the remainder of Bed 7, and these 

 sediments are here considered to be a little later than the concretions in the Osming- 

 ton area, Dorset (p. 51) which are classified with the uppermost part of the spathi 

 Subzone and may be represented at Devizes by Bed 6 and the basal 3 feet of Bed 7. 

 However, at Devizes in Bed 7 the situation is reversed, Hoplites (H.) being here sub- 

 ordinate to Anahoplites, and so these clays are classified with the basal part of the 

 intermedius Subzone. This level is, therefore, closely comparable to the basal part 

 of the intermedius Subzone in the Departements of the Meuse (p. 88) and Aube (p. 93). 

 In the Weald, this interval does not contain ammonites. 



The remainder of Bed 7, and particularly 8, contains a typical intermedius Subzone 

 fauna with crushed Anahoplites praecox and A. intermedius. No fossils were ob- 

 tained from Beds 9-1 1 and their subzonal classification is, therefore, unknown at this 

 time. 



