"The Lower Soft Red and Mottled Sandstone.—The Lower soft red and mottled sandstone, when the section is complete, invariably comes between the pebble beds and the Permian or Coal-measure strata of our area. It is in general a bright red soft sandstone, occasionally streaked with yellow and white, and in most points strongly resembles the Upper soft red sandstone. It is, however, generally coarser and exhibits more false bedding. It is quite destitute of pebbles. Between the south end of the Lickey Hill and Hagley it is absent, the Pebble beds resting directly upon the Permian breccias; and the same is the case on the north and east of the Coal-field. West of Stourbridge it underlies the pebble beds in a narrow strip dipping east, and nearly 5 miles long, being faulted on the west against the Upper soft red sandstone. Still further west, repeated by this fault, it runs north from Kinfare by Spittlebrook Mall.
"On the east side of the Coal-field it is entirely absent, the Pebble beds resting directly on the Permian strata. Its thickness is very variable, and probably within the limits of the map described it never exceeds from 100 to 200 feet, but further west, in parts of Shropshire, it is very much thicker."
CHAPTER IV.
Description of the Rocks—continued.
3. The Permian Rocks, or Lower Red Sandstone.
If the survey had been confined to the immediate neighbourhood of the South Staffordshire coal-field it would have been impossible to have obtained sufficient evidence for establishing a boundary between the New red and the Lower red sandstone. In North Staffordshire, however, better sections exist, and my colleague. Mr. Hull, in examining that district, was enabled to acquire a knowledge of the characteristic distinctions of the two formations, which he afterwards brought to bear on the examination of our district. Professor Ramsay having visited North Staffordshire with Mr. Hull, afterwards went over part of the South Staffordshire district with Mr. Hull and myself. The description of this formation, therefore, must be taken as the result of our joint labours.
It is as well to premise that the lithological distinctions between the rocks of this formation and those of the New red sandstone are often rather vague and sometimes but small. This is more especially true with respect to the second or Waterstone subdivision of the New red sandstone, the dark brown or pale red sandstones of which, with their interstratified marls and calcareous bands, are scarcely distinguishable by any lithological characters from similar
