196 GRAVEL OF LEICESTER, RUTLAND, AND WARWICKSHIRE. 
of coralline limestone are most abundant, and like those of hornstone 
appear to have been derived from the mountain limestone of 
Derbyshire. 
The Rev. W. D. Conybeare has noticed in the following terms 
the superficial gravel beds of the midland districts of Leicester, Rut¬ 
land, and Buckinghamshire. 
“ The gravel accumulated in the midland counties of England, ’ 
says he, “ is worthy of much more attention than it has hitherto re¬ 
ceived. These accumulations extend over the plains that lie between 
the north-west escarpment of the great oolite chain, and also over 
the low tract between these hills and the north-west escarpment of 
the chalk of Bucks, Herts, and Bedfordshire ; but they are more par¬ 
ticularly abundant in the former position, where extending many 
fathoms in depth, they often effectually conceal the subjacent strata, 
and sometimes by their acervation constitute decided hills. Tracts 
of this description are particularly abundant on the borders of Rut¬ 
land, Warwick, and Leicestershire. From Houghton on the Hill, 
near Leicester, to Braunston, near Daventry, proceeding by Market 
Harborough and Lutterworth, the traveller passes over a continuous 
bed of gravel for about 40 miles. Near Hinckley, great depositions 
of gravel, probably connected with this mass, are found, and afford 
pebbles containing specimens of the organic remains of most of the 
secondary strata in England. This deposition may probably be traced 
continuously to that of Shipston-on-Stour, most of the hillocks scat¬ 
tered over the lias and red marl tract, between Southam and Ship- 
ston, being crowned with this gravel. 
“ These accumulations of pebbles, promiscuously heaped together, 
