BEEKITE. 
7 
Further, the org-anic remains on which the rings, &c., occur, 
are always those that are natural to the formation in which they 
are found, and not derived from other rocks (as in the case of 
the Torbay conglomerates). 
Now the fact that there is always an organism present whenever 
we get Beekite, and further that it shows a distinct preference 
for certain fossils, gives a very good clue to the origin of this 
peculiar mineral, a clue which it is somewhat surprising to find 
has not (apparently) been followed up. The most possible ex- 
planation is, that the various writers on the subject accepted 
Pengelly’s dictum as to its occurrence only in conglomerates as 
final, and were probably unaware of its being found in so many 
formations in situ. 
It is also curious that the earlier Continental writer (nearly a 
century before Pengelly’s paper) appear to have worked on in situ 
specimens, and to have attributed the origin to worms or other 
organisms. In this they came much nearer a feasible solution of 
the question than those who followed the conglomerate theory I 
After discovering that the Beekites had such a wide range and 
could be traced through so many formations, the suggestion 
naturally arose of the probability that something of the same 
kind might be going on at the present time. 
Anyone examining the common objects on the sea shore would 
notice the numerous shells with holes of various sizes and shapes 
bored in them. Many of these are simple pits or trenches, which 
were probably made by small animals requiring lime, or making 
refuges for their habitation — these do not affect our question. 
But there is another kind of boring, that which goes right through 
the shell. These are of various sizes, the large ones being made 
by carnivorous univalves, mostly of the whelk type, well known 
for their destructive habits in the oyster beds, but it is not these 
we have to consider in this paper, rather with those of the small- 
bore type, that is, shells riddled with scores of minute perforations, 
of which many may be found on most sea-beaches. These holes 
have been attributed to various organisms, and may be caused by 
worms, such as “ Polydora ciliata,” or sponges, such as Cliona,” 
or some other boring creature. That the attack was frequently 
made during the life of the victim is shown by the fact that shells 
are not uncommon in which the mollusc has defended itself against 
these borers, sometimes with success, by throwing out a hasty 
deposit of nacre, or shell-forming material, and that this is laid 
down in a hurry is evident by its rough and uneven character, 
differing entirely from the beautiful smoothness usual in the interior 
of a sea shell. 
The effect of a successful attack of these small sea pirates would 
be the death of the mollusc and subsequent decomposition of some 
A3 
