From three disparate examples studied in the field and the laboratory, it is found that the erosion of consolidated cohesive soils is very much a function of the transport properties of even sparse amounts of granular material overlying the cohesive soil or carried by the eroding stream. Since erosion of consolidated cohesive sediments by clear water is a complex function of the characteristics of the cohesive sediment and not readily understood, while sediment transport of granular material, is relatively much better known, this concept greatly simplifies understanding of erosion of a cohesive bed.