forming the Southern Flank of the TyroleseAlps near Bassano. -tOS 



towards the exterior of the zone, but they become smaller in 

 the lower beds : some of these boulders are of primary rock, 

 but by far the greater number are referrible to the dolomite 

 of the neighbouring Alps ; in the higher beds these are packed 

 together with little or no cementing matter, whilst in the lower 

 they are frequently imbedded in a hard yellow calcareous 

 sandstone forming a compact breccia: still lower there are 

 beds of incoherent yellow sand with some organic remains ; 

 and this system may be said to terminate in the escarpments 

 north of Asolo, where a fine conglomerate is seen alternating 

 with beds of blue marl and yellow sand, both containing shells. 

 In the descending series there is no repetition of conglome- 

 rates, and the upper system has therefore a well marked ter- 

 mination*. (Plate V. Section, fig. 1.) 



The lower system is ushered in by a chain of conical hills, 

 the highest beds of which consist of a thick-bedded yellow 

 sandstone charged with green grains, alternating with strong 

 beds of calciferous grits, and dipping under the conglomerates 

 at angles varying from 25° to 30° S.S.E. These contain many 

 organic remains; amongst which are Pectunculi, Pectens, 

 Echini, &c. The surfaces of the beds are further remark- 

 able for the vast quantity of branching stem-shaped bodies 

 resembling Alcyonia. At the base of the escarpment of these 

 hills there is a considerable thickness of blue marl, which is 

 prolonged for about a mile to the north, forming low undu- 

 lations, the beds of which are exposed on the banks of several 

 streamlets running from west to east. The characteristic shells 

 of this marl seemed to be Lucina concentrica (Venus concen- 

 trica, Brocchi), Lucina mutabilis (Venus mutabilis, Lamarck), 

 Echini, &c. North of the small river at Castel Cucco, a com- 

 pact limestone rises from beneath the marls and attains consi- 

 derable elevation. The upper beds have a mamillary surface, 

 but upon fracture are of a solid madreporic structure and 

 bluish colour: below this are strong beds of green slaty cal- 

 careous grits and yellow sandstone, the latter containing many 

 Pectens, &c. 



Succeeding to the above there is a repetition of blue sandy 

 incoherent marls, some beds of which are entirely occupied by 

 vast quantities of a Turritella highly resembling if not identi- 

 cal with the T. sinuosa of Bourdcaux; whilst others arc filled 

 with the following shells : Natica glaucinoides of the London 



♦ In this respect the order of the strata docs not coincide with that 

 which Mr. I.} ell and myself ohservcd in the valleys of the Horniida, or at the 

 Superga near Turin, where powerful couf^lonieratcs reappear very low in 

 the tc'rtiary series, beneath an enormous development of green slaty mica- 

 ceous sandstone and siiale. 



3 F 2 fhiv ; 



