TERTIARY FORMATIONS OF SWITZERLAND. 147 



herent; but still the great amount of dip considered in connection with the 

 parallel ranges alluded to, gives us sufficient reason for referring to elevations 

 as the original causes of the more remarkable phenomena. 



The Tertiary Geology of Switzerland is but little assisted by the 

 consideration of those organic remains which are peculiar to, or discovered 

 in the various beds. The Molasse is so exceedingly barren of fossils, 

 that during many weeks which I spent in the immediate neighbourhood 

 of great natural sections of it, I did not on any occasion find a single 

 specimen indicating organic structure. The Northern beds are, however, 

 rather more prolific, and offer sufficient evidence that this vast mass of 

 sand was accumulated under sea-water. There is a list of fossils in the work 

 by Professor Studer, already alluded to, which includes the following 

 marine genera, — Mactra, Cytherea, Cardium, Pecten, Trochus, Cassis, 

 Terebra, Buccinum, and Conus. These were most of them found in various 

 parts of the Cantons of Zurich and Lucerne. 



Although, however, the general character of the bed, as well as 

 the discovery of such a series of fossils, would induce us to place the 

 whole formation among marine deposits, yet with regard to the bands of 

 lignite, the evidence is so entirely the other way, and points so clearly 

 to a fresh-water origin, that I think the only way of reconciling the 

 apparent anomaly is to suppose the former existence of considerable 

 streams rushing down from the mountains, and bringing with them vast 

 quantities of vegetable, intermixed with some animal remains, which 

 might be deposited at the mouth of a river in consequence of a bar, 

 or extensive sandbank. 



The shells found in the lignite, and embedded in the sandstone 

 immediately adjacent, are chiefly Helix, Planorbis, Lymncea, and Unio ; 

 but the specimens are so much broken, that the exact species can hardly 

 be determined. Besides these, I was fortunate enough, on one occasion, 

 to discover a portion of the sternum of a chelonian reptile, probably a 

 turtle, although such fossils are, I believe, extremely rare, and I did not 

 hear of any other remains of Reptiles during my stay in the South of 

 Switzerland. The lignite is generally hard with a clean conchoidal fracture 

 and brilliant lustre, and is a good deal used for fuel. It is met with in 



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