Vol.  49. j 
OF  THE  SHERBORNE  DISTRICT. 
503 
Feet.  Inches. 
Bleurotomaria  granulata.  Sow.,  Astarte 
spissa,  S.  Buckm.,  Terebratula  spha- 
roidalis,  Sow .  4 
3.  Grey  limestone,  with  iron  grains. 
Stephanoceras  cf.  subcoronatum  (Oppel), 
St  cf.  Blag  deni,  1  St.  Braikenridgii' 
Terebratida  sphceroidalis  .  0 
Sausei.  J.  4.  White  limestone,  with  Bleurotomaria 
grcumlata,  Sphceroceras  perexpansum, 
S.  Buckm.,  Sph.  Brocchi  (Sow.), 
‘  Stephanoceras  Braikenridgii  ’  .  6 
5.  Hard,  grey  crystalline  limestone.  At 
the  top  softer,  speckled  with  green 
grains,  and  containing  Astarte  spissa 
and  Belemnites .  1  2 
Witchellice.  X.  6.  Grey  sandy  limestone,  with  large 
Witchellia  sp.,  1  ft.  6  in.  from  the  top. 
Part  of  the  periphery  of  a  large  Am¬ 
monite  of  the  Sphcer.  Brocchi-txpe, 
showing  in  the  rock  9  feet  from  the  top. 
Ditto  of  a  large  Sonninia  9  ft.  8  in. 
from  the  top  of  the  bed  .  13  2 
Discitce.  L.  7.  Brown  limestone.  Bhynchonella  For- 
besi  and  Belemnites .  10 
8.  Grey,  sandy,  crystalline  limestone,  with 
earthy  partings  .  2  6 
In  this  section  may  be  remarked,  first  the  apparent  absence  of 
strata  of  the  niortensis  hemera,  or  any  indicating  fossils  ;  secondly,  the 
very  great  thickness  of  the  strata  which  I  correlate  with  the  lower 
part  of  the  ‘Fossil  Bed'  of  Sandford  Lane.  Fossils  seem  to  be  some¬ 
what  scarce  at  this  horizon ;  but,  evidently,  from  a  geological  point 
of  view,  a  workable  opening  of  this  and  ‘  the  lower  beds  ’  in  this 
neighbourhood  would  be  very  desirable. 
Review  of  the  Sections. — The  chief  point  which  is  noticeable  is 
that  during  any  given  hemera  there  was  a  very  large  amount  of  strata 
deposited  at  one  place,  and  at  another  extremely  little  ;  further,  that 
the  localities  of  maximum  and  minimum  deposits  continually 
changed.  The  most  striking  example  is  Halfway  House,  as  com¬ 
pared  with  Sherborne. 
Hitherto  the  top  beds  of  Halfway  House  and  the  top  beds  of 
Sherborne  have  been  considered  as  the  ‘  ParJcinsoni- zone  ’ ;  and  in  the 
absence  of  any  explanation  to  the  contrary,  this  term  left  it  to  be 
understood  that  the  strata  were  contemporaneous.  Further,  the 
use  of  the  term  ‘  ParJcinsoni-z one  ’  in  so  comprehensive  a  manner 
was  fatal  to  any  appreciation  of  the  true  sequence ;  it  not  only 
suggested  that  further  distinction  of  horizon  was  unnecessary,  but 
it  gave  to  the  fossils  so  labelled  a  supposititious  contemporaneity 
which  they  did  not  deserve.  In  this  paper  I  can  show  the  true 
relations  of  these  ‘  top  beds.’ 
In  regard  to  the  maxima  and  minima  of  deposits,  it  is  interesting 
to  notice  not  only  how  they  shift  from  one  place  to  another  in 
