34 
W. Pengelly on the Red Sandstones, 
not from the incoming of new strata, but from a change in the 
colour of those already forming the chff. On approaching Culver- 
hole Point— a mile and a half from Axmouth harbour — blueish 
beds alternate with those of drab colour with the occasional 
intercalation of a faint red or reddish-drab layer. These red beds 
weather more rapidly than the others, which consequently stand 
out in relief, and give the stratification greater distinctness than, 
in the marl, it commonly possesses. What appear to be desicca- 
tion cracks are numerous in the blue beds ; and some traces of 
iron pyrites are discoverable in those of greenish hue. 
The decidedly liassic aspect of the blue beds stimulates to 
minute examination, in the hope of discovering the exact line of 
demarcation between the Trias and the Lias. This line, more- 
over, ought to be marked and, indeed, defined by the presence of 
the famous '* bone bed ;" and as this is well known to be no more, at 
most, than a few inches in thickness, its detection challenges the 
most careful scrutiny. It is somewhat tantalizing, therefore, to 
find that, in consequence of the small angle at which the formation 
dips, the zone of cliff which holds out the most decided promise 
is so long in coming down to an accessible level ; more especially as 
the confusion produced by the great landslip of 1839 is so near at 
hand as to threaten to bury prematurely the entire section under 
the ruins of fallen rocks. At length, however, immediately west of 
the spot at which the wild disorder commences, the blue, or rather, 
blueish black belt is found to have descended to within a few feet 
of the beach, but, alas ! it seems scarcely to differ from bands of 
similar colour below it, in which no fossils can be seen, and above 
which there are certainly reddish layers. Judging from the aspect 
which its weathered edge presents, it is a loose disintegrated 
stratum of almost black mud. Within it, however, there occurs a 
hard central plate, varying from half an inch to two inches thick, 
and readily breaking into small pieces. These, on being very 
thoroughly washed, disclose the well-known black organic frag- 
