98 



Xoles (Did Conimenis. 



boulder-clay, and have yielded several shells of an Arctic 

 type, a tooth of a Shark (?), etc. In addition to a collection of 

 shells, a larg-e quantity of material has been secured for careful 

 examination, the result of which will appear in due course. 



A NEWSPAPER PARAGRAPH. 



As an example of the 'scientific' information sometimes 

 appearing- in the daily papers, the following' extraordinarv 

 effusion from a ' Bridling-ton Geologist,' relating to the shell 

 beds, may be quoted : — ' I think it is most probably the lower 

 g-reen sand found in the lower cretaceous (neocomian) strata. 

 This is sometimes termed by g"eolog"ists the "Neocomian 

 g-roup," but for all practical purposes chalk g-ault and green 

 sand are identical. The gault is a provincial term for a blueish 

 tenacious clay, and with it are found beds of green or ferrie- 

 g'enous (sic) sands. The green colouring- is due to the presence 

 of chloritic matter, but these sands are not uniformly green, 

 having sometimes yellow tints. The chalk forms the upper 

 group of the system. The fossils comprise sponges, foramin- 

 ifera, corals, Crustacea, fishes, star fishes, reptiles, and plants 

 allied to the algoe confedoa (sic), etc. I have several which 

 I.g'ot from the Speeton clay. If the workmen dug out two or 

 three characteristic fossils it would settle what I will only now 

 speculate upon ; but I dare ^ay that I am right — that this is the 

 lower green sand of the chalk in the lower cretaceous strata, 

 which you see so well developed up to Sewerby Bight.' 



UPPER COQUETDALE ANTIQUITIES. 



A very complete and accurate account of the Neolithic and 

 later antiquities of Coquetdale appears in Mr. D. D. Dixon's 

 wonderfully cheap volume on ' Upper Coquetdale,' recently 



Bronze Axe frcm Tosson Burgh.. 



Natii ralist, 



