one letis- 
C^e Jjjaetk 
By W. H. WICKES. 
Introduction, 
T)ERHAPS the most interesting bed of its size, in the 
West of England, is that known as the “ Bone 
Bed.” Alike for the richness of the fossil remains and 
other special features, it has attracted the attention of all 
observers for a long period ; but while many geologists have 
frequently mentioned it in various papers, and lists of the 
fossils, more or less reliable, have been given, it is doubtful 
if it has received the full attention it deserves. Few of 
the writers venture to give any opinion as to its origin, 
and as those who do usually omit to produce any evidence 
in support of their theories, the solution of the matter is 
not much facilitated thereby. 
Many of the ideas current have been handed down from 
one generation to another, with apparently very little 
investigation as to their soundness, and are based on views 
dating from fifty to sixty years ago, at which period the 
Rhaetic formation was very imperfectly understood. (It is 
not thoroughly understood now, but considerable advance 
has been made of recent years.) 
The various theories brought forward were so contra- 
dictory and generally unsatisfactory, being mainly based 
on premature conclusions from local generalizations, that 
it was resolved to try the experiment of a fresh start by 
discarding them all, making a “ clean slate,” and going to 
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