2 ±4 



THE GEOLOGIST. 



Geological Society and other gentlemen interested in the matter; 

 and on the 22nd of April, Sir Charles Lyell, Mr. Prestwich, and Mr. 

 John Evans visited the pit with myself, and made an examination 

 which was most satisfactory. This discovery furnishes many impor- 

 tant points of evidence in this inquiry, and as 

 it will probably be referred to not unfrequently 

 hereafter, we append an engraving of the section 

 of the locality. The locality where this dis- 

 covery was made is in the valley of the Ouse, 

 and is about a mile and a half north-west of Bed- 

 ford. The gravel lies on the Oolitic limestone, 

 and the pit surface is abont fifty feet above the 

 j level of the river. The valley at this point is 

 ] bounded by ridges of Boulder clay, which rise 

 I respectively ninety feet on the west and one 

 I hundred and thirty on the east. The drift comes 

 j in at the northern end of the county, by Sharn- 

 s brook, and extends southward through Bletsoe, 

 {s Milton Ernest, Radwell, Clapham, Bromham, 

 Biddenham, Bedford, Kempston and Elstow ; 



I © and then goes eastwards through Harrowden, 

 §3 Cardington and Cople. The two flint-imple- 

 \ \ ments from Biddenham were exhibited before 

 § o the Geological Society on the 8th ult., and are 

 £ £ very fine specimens. The oval one is worked 

 1 13 along the edges throughout, except about one 



II inch of its length, and has a bright ochreous 

 is g patina all over it of the same tint as the gravel 

 !<r in which it had been bedded. It is nearly six 

 i?„ inches in length, and nearly four inches across, 

 f j? at the widest part. One side is smooth and 

 B £ glossy : the other is dull, and has incrustations 

 ^§ of carbonate of lime : a certain proof that the 

 f£ implement laid flat in the gravel, and that this 

 £ j side was the upper surface receiving the fil- 

 £ trations from the beds above. The pointed 

 ^ " hache," which is constructed from a grey flint, 

 | is seven inches in length, massive at one end 

 a and worked off to a wedge-like point at the 

 i other, displaying a boldness of design equal to 

 * that shown in the finest specimens found at 

 ^ Amiens. It is stained with an ochreous tint, 



but not so deep in tone as that on the oval imple- 

 ment, and there are dark ferruginous stems 

 along both surfaces. Another of these " haches" 

 has been found near Bedford. Myself and Mr. 

 Nail were returning from the examination of a 

 gravel pit when the latter picked up from some 

 railway-ballast a small one. This ballast had 



