72 



THE GEOLOCxIST. 



unexpectedly discovered in the cliff. 

 On removing some of the surrounding 

 clay, the bone was found to form_ part of 

 a perfect human skeleton, which was 

 lying in a position parallel to the cockle- 

 bed, which bed was continuous and 

 unbroken on both sides of the human 

 remains. A portion of the skeleton was 

 rather below the line of shells, while 

 the clay and cockles had entered the skuU, 

 and followed the same line as the shelly 

 bed on either side of it. It was also 

 quite evident that the incumbent earth 

 had never been disturbed from above 

 since its upheaval; and the clay is so 

 perfectly dry, that bones might remain 

 undecayed in it for an indefinite period; 

 and the shells are apparently all but 

 as fresh as those of the same species that 

 are daily cast on shore by the waves. 

 A brief notice of this discovery was 

 read at a meeting of the Geological 

 Society in 1841, when the skuU, with 

 the shells in it, was exhibited. The 

 cliff is elevated about forty feet. 

 The circumstance attracted at the time 

 less attention than a fact of the kind 

 deserved, but subsequent discoveries of 

 flint implements in the drift has convert- 

 ed what was at first considered of little 

 account into an important fact ; and 

 I have been urged by my geological 

 friends to call attention to the subject 

 in your widely circulated periodical. 

 Explanation of the Section. 

 «5, Clay ; the line near the top represent- 

 ing the bed of cockles. 



b, Trap-rock. 



c, Quartzite, probably caradoc sandstone 

 altered by contact with the igneous rock 

 against wliich it abuts. 



f, Caradoc-rocks, rich in fossils. 



At a X is noted the spot where the 

 human skeleton was imbedded. 



Height of section forty feet ; horizontal 

 extent about eight hundred yards. In 

 tlio rough draft the vertical height has 

 been exaggerated, in order to exhibit the 

 stratified rocks more distinctly. 



At tlic time the human skeleton was 

 disovercd, it was asked if any tradi- 

 iion existed in the country of a* change 

 of level on the roast, but I have no 

 do\ibt that th(^ oiiioiubment of the hu- 

 man remains and the cockles occurred 



