174 
THE GEOLOGIST. 
think that one page of The Geologist devoted to a list of sucli places within half- 
an-honr's or an hour's run of London, with directions as to the exact spots, and 
the beds to be found there, would be a great boon to tliose who, like myself, are 
advocates for practice as well as theory. If you should consider this favourably, 
I am sure others as well as myself will feel greatly obliged for your kind assist- 
ance. — Yours very truly, A Beoinner." — We have for some time past contem- 
plated giving occasional papers on the characters and features of the chief 
geological localities, not only around London, but also by the sea-side, and in the 
vicinity of larger and imjiortant towns. Our correspondent will find in vol i. p. 208, 
a list of the fossiliferous localities near London. — Ed. Geou)GISt. 
Notice op the Occurrence oe Mammalian Remains in the Valley 
OP THE Soar, LEiCESTER.fHiRE. — " In compliance with the admirable suggestion 
of Mr. Prestwich, the following notice of teeth and other elephantine remains 
found in the valley of tlie river Soar may be of service. This valley, from its 
commencement in the neighbourhood of Lutterworth, to its termination at Red 
Hill, where it joins the great Trent Valley, has been formed by the denudation of 
the Lower Lias, the Uj)per New Red Marls, and the Kenper Sandstone. The 
denuded materials, ground and mixed together, are piled up on the sides of the 
valley to a depth, in many places, of 120 feet and upwards. Bones and teeth of 
ox, deer, horse, &c., are very frequently met with, whenever the alluvial soil of 
the valley is excavated, especially near the present river-bed ; but the teeth of 
elephants have all been found in the drift-clays and gravels that flank each side. 
In the neighbourhood of Barrow the Lower Lias has been denuded to the extent of 
from 160 to 200 feet, as shown by some remaining outliers of that formation. The 
denuded materials, consisting of pieces of shales, blocks of limestone, bones of 
saurians and shells, arc scattered far and wide over the adjacent country, but more 
particularly on the north eastern side of the valley, the set of the cunent having 
been, no doubt, determined in that direction by the old rocks of Charnwood Forest. 
The altitude of the valley at BaiTOW above the sea-level is about 180 to 200 feet ; 
and its width, from the escarpment of the Middle Lias (Marlstone) on the north- 
east to the slopes of Ghamwood on the south west, is about 7 or 8 miles. Barrow 
lies near the centre ; and in the neighbourhood of that place the drift-clays and 
gravels immediately covering the Lower Lias vaiy from 6 feet to 20 or 30 feet. It 
was here the remains of mammalia were found, accorchng to the accomit of the 
quarryman. When first uncovered, the entire skeleton of an ele))hant about 
I I feet long was seen lying upon its side, a few inches only above the denuded 
beds of the Lower Lias, and about 6 feet from the surface. So perfect was it 
at that time, that the integuments were plainly discernible, but exposure to the 
atmosphere caused it to crumble into dust and small fragments ; and fi'om the 
whole skeleton it was only possible to preserve portions of the tusks, three teeth 
(one veiy perfect, large, and but little worn on the grinding surface, the others in 
fragments), part of a femur (thigh-bone), and a large fragment of the scapula 
(shoulder-blade). The large tooth is from the lower jaw, left side ; and, from the 
character of the gi'inding surface, would appear to belong to Dr. Falconer's genus 
Elephas, sub-genus Euelephas, species antiquvs ; it measures seven inches deep on 
the side at the middle part, and must have been eight or nine when perfect, the 
end of the fangs being now broken ; it is thirteen inches long on the side ; the 
grinding surface is seven and a half inches by three inches in the central part, 
tapering ofl' at each end to about one and a half inches ; there are twelve layers of 
dentine divided by layers of cement of nearly equal width ; the cement splits readily, 
and would admit of the tooth being divided into segments. Some yards from 
the spot where these remains were found two other teeth were turned out of the 
drift-clay, but no bones accompanied them ; they had evidently been rolled consider- 
ably, the grinding-.surface of both being veiy much worn ; and, judging from the 
character of the ridges and the thickness of the cement, they would appear to 
belong to Dr. Falconer's genus Elephas, sub-genus Lnxodnn ; they are both 
lower-jaw-teeth ; one from the right, the other from the left side, providing these 
points can be fairly deduced from the wearing of the grinding-surface. The largest 
of them measures on the grinding-surface ten inches long by four inches wide in 
the centre, tapering off at each cikI to one inch and a quarter ; the greatest depth 
inside at the middle ]iart is six inches : it has ten layers of dentine. The otlier 
