1913.] NOTES ON SUMMER EXCURSIONS. 33 



CLAYS. 



We have, first, clays. These used to be considered 

 purely of local and restricted origin. During the excursions 

 I have given the members opportunities of seeing that a 

 yellow plastic clay rests over practically the whole island and 

 that that clay is without stratification, but that everywhere it 

 contains pebbles. 



This was proved during the walking excursion at St. 

 Martin's, also it was demonstrated during the outing at St. 

 Saviour's where pebbles were taken by the members them- 

 selves from the clay, in situ. We have also had it demon- 

 strated that those portions of the clays which find themselves 

 in the " heads " on the coasts have been redistributed, and 

 that at Fermain and at Divette, not to speak of other places, 

 the redistributed clays are referable to fluviatile action and are 

 distinctly stratified. At Fermain and Divette the "head" 

 was shown to be intermediate between the clay deposits. 

 At George Road and in the Croutes Lane the clay was 

 demonstrated to be in two distinct layers, but the second 

 rested directly on the first. On the cliffs, on the contrary, 

 there was rubble head between. Thus it will be seen that 

 there have been separate periods when the clays have been 

 washed from the high land on to the cliffs and into the 

 valleys, and that in between there have been periods of 

 elevation of the land which owing to low temperature have 

 caused the accumulation of head. 



That the clays have been deposited in two separate 

 periods seems thus to be established, and a reason must be 

 found for their lying conformably on each other on the high 

 land and not on the cliffs and in the valleys. The reason 

 seems to me to be that the deposits which originally rested on 

 the first deposited clay have been removed by denudation, and 

 no doubt the four feet of clay representing the first deposit is 

 in itself only a remnant of one much thicker. The lower 

 deposit contains pebbles in fewer numbers than the second ; 

 it is in the second that we find the pebbles in numbers and 

 also flint chips and implements. 



I do not wish to labour this point but to show its im- 

 portance. I will give an idea of the richness of the clay in 

 pebbles and in flints. 



In one case I saw at St. Saviour's a quantity of pebbles 

 on a Farm, separated from the arable portion of the land. I 

 asked the farmer if these had been brought up from the sea 

 shore and obtained the reply that there was clay under the 

 soil and that as it was turned up these pebbles were separated. 



C 



