210 Geological Society. 



or scaglia, occasionally more or less crystalline, which forms the 

 principal rock of the Ionian islands. It is generally without fossils, 

 but near Argostoli contains numerous organic remains, principally 

 small spiral univalves; and near the middle of this vast formation are 

 two beds of oyster shells, about a foot thick each, and parallel to the 

 stratification which dips to the north-east at an angle of 25°. 



The tertiary formation extends for two or three miles to the north 

 and south of Lixouri, forming several parallel lines of hills, sloping to 

 the east according to the dip of the strata, and presenting a suc- 

 cession of steep escarpments toward the west. The beds are all 

 conformable, dipping a few degrees to the north of east by compass, 

 at an angle varying from 45° to 55°. These beds are remarkable 

 for their great thickness, the beauty and number of their fossils ; and 

 for the variety of strata through which they extend. The beds, of 

 which sixteen are enumerated, may be classed under three principal 

 heads. First, the calcareo-arenaceous ; second, the argillaceous j 

 third, the gypseous beds. Of these, the first is a loose sandy alluvium, 

 rising very gradually from the sea side, and resting unconformably 

 upon the other beds which are. conformable. The fossils belong to 

 numerous genera ; and some of the species have been identified with 

 those at present existing in the Mediterranean. 



May 17. — " A description of the Geological character of the Coast 

 of Normandy ;" by S. Peace Pratt, Esq., F.G.S., begun at the meet- 

 ing on the 3rd of May, was concluded. 



The author commences his paper by observing that the fall of a cliff 

 or the opening of a quarry throws light upon an obscure locality and 

 clears up previous difficulties; and that from frequently examining 

 the coast from Point Antifer to near Grenville, he has had opportuni- 

 ties of correcting some of the views of M. De la Beche and M. De 

 Caumont in their descriptions of the same line of coast. 



The chalk cliffs from Point Antifer to Cap la Heve are composed 

 of craie glauconeuse equivalent in position to chalk marl. These 

 rest on a bed 40 to 50 feet thick of green sand, containing nume- 

 rous fossils ; the lower part, of a dark olive green, is also full of shells 

 and corals. To these succeed two argillaceous beds with an inter- 

 mediate one of ferruginous sand, each five to seven feet thick, resting 

 upon a fourth 20 to 25 feet thick of sand, in which the plates of mica 

 are numerous and large. These beds are interesting as indicating the 

 presence of the gault, lower green sand, and Hastings sand. The 

 absence of the characteristic fossils may be explained by the beds ap- 

 pearing to have thinned off towards the coast. 



The ferruginous deposit rests upon an argillaceous limestone, sepa- 

 rated into thin beds by partings of clay, then rising to the surface at a 

 small angle to the north-east of Cap la Heve. The upper layers of 

 the clay contain Gryphcea virgula, Ostrani deltoidea, &c, while in the 

 marl stone, though there are few fossils, a Pholadomya, a Terebratula, 

 &c, were occasionally found in the upper parts with Trigonia and 

 Perna, in the lower parts generally in distinct beds. These therefore 

 represent the Kimmeridge clay, though found immediately under the 

 iron sand. 



