NOTES AND QUEKIES. 
39 
It is wonderful how widely tliese minute organisms are disseminated ! At 
first I thought the black earth might be the accumulation of a large cesspool; 
but I think the discovery of these fresh-water organisms will make it apparent 
that the bog was the bed of an ancieut stream running into the River Stour in 
the time of the Romans. — I am, yours, &c., John Brext. 
Red and White Chalk of Yoekshire. — Dear Sir, — In the Geologist for 
the month of November, 1860, I perceive some notes by Major-Gen. Emmett, 
R.E., r.G.S., on the above-named formations, wliich, if not corrected might be 
the cause of some disappointment to those of your readers, who, during the 
summer months may visit this neighbourhood, and gather fossils from the red 
chalk at Speeton; and the white chalk at Sowerby, Manton, Flamborough, 
Buckton, Bempton, Speeton, &c. What I wish to say on the above subject is, 
that the red chalk is not found any where nearer Flamborough than at Speeton. 
This fact is fully stated in the Rev. Thos. Wiltshire's Monograph on the " Red 
Chalk of England," published at vour office, as also in the Geologist, vol. ii,, 
p. 261. 
I would further observe, that, although much of the red chalk at Speeton is 
hard, yet there is, also, much of this chalk which is quite soft — so much so tliat 
it can be crushed with ease between the finger and thumb. I have never yet 
washed this soft chalk for the sake of its foraminifera ; but I liave not the 
least doubt that those who wish to do so would find it equally prolific in fossils, 
if not more so than the harder chalk. 
The white chalk at Sowerby, near Elamborough, is much softer than any 
part of the same formation at Flamborough, Bucton, Bempton, or Speeton. 
All the chalk in the latter places are remarkably indurate ; and, in fact, from 
Flamborough Dyke on the south of Flamborough, around the Head, and as far 
as the cretaceous formation extends on the north side of it, we find all 
the chalk very hard indeed , yet we have many softer portions of white chalk, 
both at Sowerby and in the pits in and around Bridlington, so that any person 
who wishes to procure soft chalk, either red or white, out of which they want 
foraminifera, may procure any quantity they may think proper ; and I should 
like to exchange a quantity of these soft rocks for a mounted specimen of each 
variety of fora ninifera found therein. — E. Tin d all, Bridlington. 
Insect-Re:mains in the Paludina Beds at Peckham. — Dear Sir, — Mr. 
Rickman, in his paper read before the Geological Society on the 7th November, 
stated that he had not found any insect-remains in the Paludina bed at Peckham. 
This has caused ms to regard ^vith renewed interest a fossil which I obtained on 
breaking open a mass of this deposit List spring. From a comparison with the 
figure and description given by Mr. Westwood, in his paper on fossil insects, 
(Geol. Journ., vol. 11, p. 381,) of a specimen from the Corfe Clay, it appears to 
me that my fossH is an elytron of a small Beetle. As Mr. Rickman expressed 
. doubt, in a letter which you published a few 
r\ months ago, as to the correctness of the opinion 
whicli a friend of mine had formed with regard to 
a specimen in his possession, I wished, before I 
announced the presence of insect -remains in the 
Peckham beds, to obtain the opinion of some com- 
petent authority. I therefore enclose a sketch, 
and shall be pleased to know if you consider 
'"''S^TetatP^e^aSf/'^'" the subject worthy of jour attention. I have 
another specimen very similar to this, but not 
so perfect. I have also another one, smaller and rather different in shape, 
but similarily marked with striae. 
I enclose also some specunens belonging to a friend, one of which is different 
from any of those m my possession. — Yours, &c., C. E. Evans, Ilampstead. 
