214 
THE RHAETIC BONE BEDS 
the rocks themselves, carefully noting every fact which 
could be found therein, and then seeing in what direction 
the evidence pointed. 
This examination has been greatly facilitated by the 
opening up lately of several fine new sections, such as 
Emborrow, Redland, and the Lilliput and other cuttings 
on the new Great Western Railway from Patchway to 
Wootton Basset. 
It has been carried on for several years, during which 
some hundreds of specimens have been carefully examined, 
and many sections visited and revisited. In some cases 
where sections were inaccessible, or grown or built over, 
use has been made of the details noted by the observers 
who originally surveyed them. 
Position of the Bone Beds. 
The first result of a comparison of various sections v/as 
seemingly to increase the difficulty. The Bone Bed not 
only declined to fit in with preconceived ideas, but also 
obstinately refused to fit in with itself ! It exhibited so 
many discrepancies in position that it was considered 
advisable to go over a lot of the work again, to see if any 
errors had been made. But although a few slight correc- 
tions were noted, the main results were not only unaltered, 
but strengthened by the revision. 
The final result showed that the old idea of the Bone 
Bed being a definite bed, occupying a definite position, is 
untenable, being quite at variance with the actual facts, 
While some sections have a bed which would fit in with 
this old idea, others vary in a remarkable way, some 
having no Bone Bed at all, others only small patches or 
pockets, while several have two or even three well defined 
Bone Beds, with varying thicknesses of stratified deposits 
between them. The height of these beds from the base 
