Northern and Central Turkey. 269 



the first defile of the Strymon (N. of Seres), near Skala. It 

 is a porous rock, which seems to have been deposited by streams 

 of acidulated water flowing down the hills for a succession of 

 ages. The soil of the Seres basin contains much nitre in many 

 places. 



I had also occasion to examine some molasse deposits near 

 Karatova to the N.W. of that city, and I travelled through the 

 molasse basin ofMelnik and Libanovo. Small hills of molasse 

 and alluvial matter extend along the Strymon valley, at some 

 distance from the river, particularly in an easterly direction. 

 They commence at Vistritza and finish at Schenadidere. Liba- 

 novo, on the left bank of the Strymon (and not on the right as 

 indicated in maps), is situated in a basin of molasse and greyish 

 marls. To the S. of the inn called Marecastino-han, there are 

 very good sections of the quartzose tertiary sands, sandstones 

 and conglomerates, all lying in horizontal beds, and without fos- 

 sils. Old alluvial granitic masses are accumulated, forming 

 pretty high ridges along the last contreforts of the Perin-Dagh 

 and the Kreshna hill, as S. of Schenadidere. Some small blocks 

 of granite and granular limestone are occasionally seen in the 

 beds of the torrents ; but the great phenomenon of dispersed 

 erratic blocks seems to be foreign to Central Turkey. A very 

 small basin of molasse, dipping to the E. at an angle of 15, 

 along with alluvium, exists around Sirbin, between the Kreshna 

 hill and the pass of Dzumaa. 



I have now to mention the White Dr'ma tertiary basin in 

 Albania, which appears to be similarly constituted with the 

 Hungarian and Austrian basins ; having marls below, and some 

 fossils in the upper sandy parts ; as at Drsenik, where there is 

 a mixture of freshwater and saltwater shells, consisting of Con- 

 geria triangularis (Partsch), a large Paludina with marked 

 ridges on the spire, a Buccinum (B. baccatum), found in Aus- 

 tria and at Bordeaux. Above these marls occur sand and sand- 

 stones, with superimposed beds of greyish yellow marl, and 

 freshwater limestone with Planorbis, Paludina, Lymnea, and 

 Physa, as we observed at the foot of the hills of the Kurilo- 

 planina E. of Schkerkoles. In short, this basin, as well as that 

 of Scutari, would probably furnish fossils to the amateur of pa- 

 leontology. 



