Southern Flank of the Tyrolese Alps near Bassano. 279 



careous grits and yellow sandstone, the latter containing 

 many Pectens, &c. 



Succeeding to the ahove 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 identi- 

 cal with, the T. sinuosa of Bourdeaux ; whilst others are filled 

 with the following shells : Natica glaucinoides of the London 

 clay ; Solarium approaching to S. canaliculatum, but some- 

 what differing from the Bourdeaux species ; Chama squamosa. 

 Of the London clay, small ostrea, Dentalium grande, &c &c. 



Then follows a yellowish compact limestone with green 

 grains, in strong beds, distinguished by nummulites, oval 

 amygdaloidal concretions of green earth, and alternating layers 

 of blue marl. The limestone succeeding to this has a semi- 

 brecciated fracture, with a pink and bluish tinge*, and is 

 charged with nummulites, &c, the whole alternating with 

 yellow-green micaceous sandstones. The latter repose upon 

 and pass into a calciferous grit containing lenticulites, oper- 

 culines, cyclolites, and other small multilocular shells, cha- 

 racteristic of the inferior tertiary formations in the north of 

 Italyt. 



The escarpment of the lowest part of the tertiary deposits 

 exposed in this section is composed of blue marl, the beds of 

 which have precisely the same S.S.E. dip as the series of 

 nummulite limestone, green sandstone, and conglomerate, 

 previously described; and in a hasty examination the follow- 

 ing corals and shells were collected at this spot : — 



Caryophyllia altavillensis ; Fungites (figured by Fortis, 

 Memoires, vol. i. p. 147); Lenticulites complanata (Opercu- 

 line of D'Orbigny) ; Orbitulite (two species) ; Cyclolites cris- 

 tata ; 1. Nummulites planulata ; 2. Nummulites variolaria; 

 Conus stromboides (C. concinnus of Min. Conch.) ; Pleurotoma 

 undata ; Fusus longsevus ; Voluta harpula; Cassis diadema; 

 Serpula spirulaea. 



The Alps rise at a rapid angle about half a mile north of 

 the above escarpment ; the intermediate low space called the . 

 Val d'Urgana, in which flow several torrents from west to 

 east, emptying themselves into the Piave, is choked up with 

 the shivery detritus of the impending secondary rocks, and 

 therefore no junction between the latter and the tertiary is 

 observable. Possagno, ornamented by the magnificent new 



* It is in this range of limestone that quarries have recently been opened 

 at Costa lunga, from which have been extracted the principal columns of 

 Canova's splendid new Temple at Possagno. It is a mottled marble, very 

 ornamental, and takes a high polish. Futurity may decide whether this 

 tertiary rock of Europe shall prove as durable a building-stone as that of a 

 similar epoch with which the pyramids of Egypt were constructed. 



f In this range of hills lignite is found, which on the authority of Brocchi 

 it imbedded in the blue marl with marine shells.— Conch. Subap. vol. i. p. 97. 



