34 On the former Changes of the Alps. 



(Molasse) and of pebbles (Nagelflue) were accumulating under 

 the waters both of lakes and of the sea, and when derived from 

 the slopes of all the pre-existing rocks. The marine portions 

 of the Molasse and Nagelflue contain the remains of many 

 species of shells now living in the Mediterranean ; whilst in 

 alternating and overlying strata, charged exclusively with 

 land and fresh water animals, not one species among many 

 hundreds, including numerous insects, is identical with any 

 form now living. This point, on which he first insisted on 

 his return from the Alps in 1848, Sir Roderick had considered 

 to be of paramount importance in proving, that terrestrial life 

 was much less endowed with the capacity to resist physical 

 changes of the surface than submarine life ; for here we have 

 a fauna which is Pliocene in the order of the strata, and yet 

 is not Eocene in its animal and vegetable contents. 



A certain number of the more remarkable animals that 

 lived during this younger tertiary age were then adverted 

 to, such as the Rhinoceros and other large quadrupeds, the 

 fossil Viverrine fox (the original of which was on the table), 

 the huge Salamander (Andrias Scheuchzeri) and a Chelydra 

 which had been described as analogus to the snapping turtle 

 of the southern states of North America. These, with 

 quantities of plants, including small palms, were all indica- 

 tives of a warm and genial climate ; and on such sure grounds 

 the second diagram placed the Alps before the spectators as 

 covered with a suitable vegetation, and with several of the 

 above-mentioned animals in the foreground. 



Having satisfied himself, in common with M. Studer, M. 

 Escher, and all the geologists who have well explored the 

 Alps, that every where along their northern flank a terrific 

 dislocation has occurred, amounting in many places to a total 

 inversion of mountains, between the older Tertiary and those 

 younger deposits which were accumulated under the waters 

 during the period he had just been describing, Sir Roderick 

 then briefly pointed out that he had demonstrated in detail 

 elsewhere : viz. that the sands and pebble-beds of that age 

 had been suddenly heaved up from beneath the waters all 

 along the outer or northern flank of the chain, so as to form 

 mountainous masses, the inverted and truncated ends of which 



