Extract

Whorlbury camp is a considerable Roman station situated just above Weston-super-Mare on a high and well defended promontory that projects into the Severn sea. At the foot of the promontory, and at its northern extremity, is a small island, connected to the main land by a bank of rocks, and always accessible at low water. The island contains about three acres of green sward, the remainder of the surface consisting of limestone rocks, which are deeply excavated. It serves during the sprat season as a place of resort for fishermen, who have extended their sprat-hangs from the island-to the main land.

A narrow horse road forms the descent from the downs in the island to the level of the sea, and it is just where the road begins to quit the sward on the left hand side opposite the sea, that a narrow stratum of soft red sandstone appears. This sandstone is of the consistence of schist at its surface, and has its laminæ divided by a hardened ochreous marl. Its whole thickness is about 6 feet, and it dips at an angle of about 47°.

In the marly part of this stratum a fossil is found resembling a cane or jointed bamboo. It is rarely obtained more than five inches long, generally curved, but sometimes straight, and of all degrees of thickness from a quarter of an inch to five inches. These fossils lie in great disorder, and are apt to separate at their joints on extracting them from