THE EXTINCT LAKE OF BOVEY TRACEY. 
189 
the discovery of a sufficient number to determine the geological 
age of the deposit with much greater definiteness than had been yet 
arrived at ; and under this conviction the subject was introduced 
early in 1860, by Sir Charles Lyell, Dr. Falconer, and myself, to 
Miss (now the Baroness) Burdett Coutts, who, with her character- 
istic liberality, furnished the means for the investigation, which 
was entrusted to me ; and, being so fortunate as to secure the 
service of Mr. Henry Keeping — then of the Isle of Wight, but 
now of the Woodwardian Museum, Cambridge — who, under my 
direction and superintendence, excavated the deposits in Windmill 
Hill Cavern at Brixham, in 1858-9, I was able to begin the work 
in August 1860, and continue it without intermission to the end 
of January 1861. 
Though investigations were made in the parishes of Abbotskers- 
well, Bovey Tracey, Kingsteignton, and Wolborough, those in 
Bovey Tracey need alone be attended to here, being in every respect 
far the most important, mainly because of the facilities offered in 
a large open working known as the " Coal Pit," where Lignite was 
formerly obtained for the use of an adjoining pottery. 
The " Pit," in form a rude parallelogram, measured about 960 x 
340 feet. Around it were lodged vast accumulations of refuse 
consisting mainly of valueless Clay and Lignite. Iron pyrites 
occurred in it in considerable quantities, and spontaneous combus- 
tion was formerly common in fresh refuse, especially after much 
rain. The fire was not generally visible near the surface in the 
daytime, but its existence was indicated by smoke and a very 
offensive odour. Cracks, having their sides lined with " Flowers 
of Sulphur," traversed the burning mass in various directions, 
and crystals of "Sulphate of Alumina" were also occasionally 
formed. 
The mode of investigation was that of cutting a series of steps 
on a large scale by which to descend the face of the artificial cliff 
forming the southern wall of the Coal Pit from top to bottom, and 
thereby accomplish the double work of collecting such fossils as 
were met with, and disclosing the geology of the formation. As 
we descended, the thickness of each bed and the amount and 
direction of its Dip were carefully measured ; a sample, and when 
necessary more than one, of every bed was taken, each in a separate 
box ; and every important fact, as to the character of the bed and 
the occurrence or non-occurrence of fossils in it, was carefully noted. 
