ESTHERIA-BED IN NORTH-WEST aLOUCESTEESHTRE. 73 
The authoress had described it as being associated with 
Estheria, but according to the late Edward Wilson ^ and 
Mr. Wickes it occurred in the same bed with marine formSj 
such as Cardium rhceticum and Pecten valoniensis? 
The organic associations of the Estherian in North-west 
Gloucestershire have never been accurately determined. 
During the past year (1901) I have been able to bestow 
considerable attention upon this stratum, in the area 
between Bourne Bank, near Defford, and Garden Cliff at 
Wes tbury-on- Severn. Eor comparison with the equivalent 
deposit in the Bristol area, a description of the strati- 
graphical position and organic contents of the Estheria-'hQ^ 
in North-west Gloucestershire may be of interest. 
In North-west Gloucestershire the Estheria-hedi is remark- 
ably persistent. Lithologically it is interesting as presenting 
structure analogous to the Gotham Marble of the Bristol 
area, but with the marble” of the latter district as the type, 
the “ dendritic ” markings therein exhibited can only be 
described as simulated in the Estlieria-hQdi of the district 
under consideration. 
The cliff section at Wainlode, near Gloucester, demon- 
strates that four lithic varieties of the bed are present. 
These are : (1) A yellowish argillaceous limestone, irregu- 
larly laminated ; (2) a hard bluish-black crystalline lime- 
stone with numerous shell fragments ; (3) a pale greenish- 
grey limestone almost wholly composed of comminuted shell 
debris ; and (4) a hard pale greenish-grey centred limestone 
with “ dendritic ” markings. These four variant phenomena 
occur in almost corresponding ratios. The laminated 
1 If this statement be based upon the record of Mr. Wilson’s 
Pylle Hill section, it may be remarked that that author does not 
record any marine lamellibranchs from his bed 1.” Quart. Journ. 
Geol. Soc., vol. xlvii., p. 546. 
2 Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc., vol. Ivii. (1901), p. 312. 
