Page:Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London, vol. 25.djvu/251

1869.] WHITAKER—SOUTH DEVON "NEW RED." 157 tion also implies the previous consolidation and uptilting of the beds, I think it must be allowed that very great time passed between the two periods. Perhaps, therefore, the Devonshire breccia may be older than has been thought. At first Mr. Pengelly classed the lower part of the Devon "New Red" as Bunter (the lowest division of the Trias); but afterwards the conformity of the beds, without any apparent break, led him to think that all must belong to one division of the Trias (unless all three are represented), and that one the uppermost (Keuper), on account of the passage up into the Lias.

As to the beds with which we are here concerned, from their being the resting-place of Hyperodapedon, there can be little doubt that they belong to the Keuper; indeed Mr. G. W. Ormerod, F.G.S., has inferred, from the occurrence of "waterstone-beds" and of pseudomorphs of rock-salt crystals, that the whole of the beds east of Exmouth (that is, all except the great breccia &c. of Dawlish and Teignmouth) are of this age*. I think however that it would be hardly safe to conclude that all the "New Red " of Devonshire belongs to one member of the Trias, or even that its lowermost division may not be a glacial breccia of Permian age.

Discussion.

Sir R. I. Murchison argued in favour of the overwhelming importance of palaeontological evidence, and maintained that Hyperodapedon was Triassic. He objected to the use of the term "poikilitic," which was merely indicative of the spotted character of the beds, and protested against the mingling of the Permian and Triassic series.

Sir Charles Lyell, referring to the occurrence of Hyperodapedon with Stagonolepis and Telerpeton in the uppermost sandstones of Elgin, remarked that he came to the conclusion that these beds were Triassic in 1859, and that Mr. Symonds had in that year stated them to be the equivalents of the Rhynchosaurus-sandstones of Shropshire.

Professor Ramsay regarded the Red Marls and Sandstones described by Mr. Whitaker as Keuper, and the lower members of his section as of Permian age. He confirmed Prof. Huxley's views as to the existence of a great extent of continental land at the epoch when Hyperodapedon and the Reptiles associated with it were in existence, and remarked that these Reptiles inhabited the shores of the great salt lakes of the Triassic land. He objected to the use of the term "poikilitic," and remarked that if the idea embodied by Prof. Huxley under it were to be accepted, it would have to be extended to all terrestrial deposits from the Silurian period to the present day.

Dr. Gunther referred to his description of 'Sphenodon' (=Hatteria), and remarked that in that genus there are uncinate processes on the ribs, as in Birds, which do not exist in Hyperodapedon. He

vol. xxv. p. 50 (February 1869).
 * Trans. Devon. Assoc. Lit. Sci. & Art for 1868, and Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc.