HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



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4. Dolomitic bituminous Schieferkohle, with Bac- 

 tryllitnn. In the first small pit the celebrated in- 

 sect marls were worked by the Swiss Natural His- 

 tory Society, but are now covered by fallen down 

 clays and alluvial mud, so that the rare fossils are 

 only obtained by removing great masses of clayey 

 material. Fragments of insects and crustacean 

 molluscs {Lima, Carciinia), parts of echinids 

 {Diademopsis Hceri) and crinoids are occasionally 

 met with. The hard limestones above with Gryphiza 

 arciiata. Am. Bitcklandi, &c., represent the different 

 zones of Am. Biuklandi, Gcometriciis, Fcnt. tuhcrcu- 

 latiis, Am. ob/iisiis, A. raricosfahis. In the second 

 larger pit the bituminous marls of the Aalenian (with 

 rare specimens of Am. opaliniis) are worked as 

 " nieten '' for the fields. 



A small road in a westerly direction in the wood 

 cuts the Bathonian and lower Argovian rocks. 



At Miilligen a few banks of Muschelkalk with 

 Encriniis liliiformis are e.xposed. From here, or 

 better from the Schambelen, the hills on the oppo- 

 site side of the river show interesting orographical 

 features caused through erosion. 



Cross the river Reuss at Miilligen (ferry), ascend 

 the vineyards "Nettel" above the village of 

 Birmenstorf, in which the lower Argovian etage 

 (Birmenstorfer Schichten =zone of Am. transver- 

 sariiis) is very fossiliferous {Am. plicatilis, A. Aro- 

 licits, Tcr. bisiiff'arcinata, mtdeata, Rhyttck. Arolica, 

 &c.). Fossils are often offered for sale (Note i). On 

 the top of the hill, near the "Signal," the Bathonian 

 and Callovian are visible. In the meadows deep 

 wells are sunk in the Trias to extract the sulphate of 

 magnesia (Birmenstorfer Bitterwasser). 



Return to Brugg along the right side of the river 

 Reuss. The whole plain covers the ruins of the old 

 Roman town Vindonissa. Coins, tiles, with the 

 inscriptions of the legions XI and XXI, pieces of 

 pottery, (S:c., are sometimes offered for sale by the 

 farmers. 



From Brugg take the main road to Remigen, 

 across the Brugger Berg, follow the south slope of 

 the Geissberg on the road to Buren. The vertical 

 rocks, called Kammerfels, are formed by the typical 

 Geissbergschichten with numerous species of bi- 

 valves, Pholadomia canaliculala, Goniouiya lit/a-ata, 

 G. consiricta, Thracia pingnis. Card, intcxtiiiii, 

 Perna mytiloides, Ostrea caprina, &c. A few yards 

 in an easterly direction the road cuts the unfossil- 

 iferous Ertingerschichten, and below the crucifix 

 the very fossiliferous Birmenstorfer Schichten. 

 The following species will enable the geologist to 

 recognise the zone : Bel. hastatiis, Am. Aroliciis, A. 

 canalicidatits, A. kispidus, A. siibclausics, A.calliceriis, 

 A. plicatilis, &c. They overlie the ferruginous marls 

 of the Callovian, and these the limestones of the 

 Bathonian {Rhynch. varians) and great oolite. Near 

 Gansingen, in the sandstone quarry (Sandsteinbruch), 

 the Keuper sandstones with equisetum form the base 



of the interesting dolomitic limestones with Avictilct 

 Gaiisiiigensis, Jllyopkora vesti/a, Tiirbonilla Gaitsiit- 

 gcnsis, &c. In the neiglibourhood, chiefly along the 

 Rhine, many localities are famous through the de- 

 velopment of the Muschelkalk and Keuper forma- 

 tion, but difiicult to find without perfect knowledge 

 of the local geography. The upper jNIuschelkalk 

 can be seen at Kaisten, where it contains Tiirbonilla 

 ornata, Myophoria rotunda, M. Goldfnssi. The 

 Hauptmuschelkalk with Ccratitcs nodosus, Pemphix 

 Sucuri, Encriniis liliiforiiiis is traceable at Etzgen, 

 Laufenburg, Stein. 



From Gansingen, a short excursion to the Waldsee 

 in the Black Forest, well known through the 

 "Trompeter von S'ackingen," can be done in a few 

 hours by taking the road to Stein, crossing the Rhine 

 to Sackingen, and will show a piece of the peculiar 

 beautiful scenery of the Black Forest. Return to 

 Stein and take the last train to Brugg. The railway 

 runs through the whole Jura of the canton Aargau, 

 and many important stratigraphical features can best 

 be seen by passing along from Frick to Effingen, and 

 at the other end of the Bozberg tunnel, with its- 

 magnificent view of the Aare valley, molasse hills, 

 and Alps. 



Instead of this excursion, the following would be of 

 more interest concerning the Jurassic formation. 

 From the above-mentioned Kammerfels, take the road 

 to Hottwyl, after having visited the rocks of the 

 Geissberg and the Birmenstorfer Schichten near the 

 Crucifix. Visit the quarry on the top of the hill of 

 Hottwyl, where the contact of the Bathonian, Callo- 

 vian and Argovian is very well shown. From the 

 old ruin the view of the Rhine valley, Black 

 Forest and Jurassic chain is very instructive, showing 

 good examples of denudation and erosion valleys on 

 a large scale. Descend to Mandach, cross the Egg 

 mountain, where the Upper Dogger and Lower 

 JNIalm are seen in a section along the road. The 

 view from the Alps, Molasse plain and hills. Jura, 

 Black Forest is one of the finest in the canton. 

 Near Villigen the Lower Malm is again very fossili- 

 ferous. Follow the road to Lauffohr ; from here 

 several important features in the stratigraphy of the 

 "Jura" can be observed (Besserstein, Rhyflue, Ge- 

 benstorferhorn). The road passes near the ruin of 

 Freudenau on the bauk of the river Aare. At 

 Lauffohr a quarry is opened in the Lower Sequanian 

 rocks (zone of Am. bimammatiis or Hcmicidaris 

 crcniilaris) with Pleinvmya reciirva, Phol. canalicu- 

 lata, Ph. pancicosta, Cyprina Argovicnsis, Terebratitla 

 Moeschi, Rhabdocidaris caprimontana. Sac. Near the 

 village, the three principal rivers of the canton, Aare, 

 Reuss, and Limmat, unite. Follow the foot of the 

 Brugger Berg to Brugg. 



This excursion, which, if properly finished, is one 

 of the most satisfactory, may be altered so far, that, 

 if time permits and the trains suit, a boat may be- 

 taken from Stilli to Betznau, where the cliffs show 



