Dr. L. Adams on the Geology of the MaUete Islandi, 8 



about among the nodules. This Tsriety soon passes into a soft 

 pale-coloured freestone, characterised by its disposition to split 

 up into fragments : it contains rounded masses and bands of 

 chert. The second nodule-bed passes tbroogli the centre por- 

 tion of the deposit. The nodules are not so large as those 

 already mentioned, and present a green colour externally, have 

 an earthy fracture, and often contain portions of the fossils 

 common to the bed, as if they were hardened portions of clay *. 

 Although usually seen in bands of from 1 foot to 18 inches in 

 thickness, these nodules may be met with in detached groups or 

 strewn irregularly throughout this portion of the bed. The 

 third seam of nodules, upwards of 10 feet in thickness, over li e s 

 the pale-coloured variety. It is the roost extensive and foasili- 

 ferous of all the nodule-seams, and so looady boand together 

 as often to present the consistence of a gravel. The nodolea 

 are all more or less roanded, and seldom of large sise. Bones 

 (chiefly ribs) of Cetaceans are very common. It was in this bed 

 that the teeth of the Zenglodam were first fonnd. A new speeiea 

 of Phoca was also lately discovered by the author. Prof. Owes 

 has named it P. mpomiem. Then are, beaid* lance of 



teeth of upwards of nuM speeiea of SqusUg, incl' le great- 



toothed shark, CartharodoH wt^^tUodom, Sin|^ specimens of the 

 teeth of this fish have been discovered measuring 6,)^ and 7 inches 

 at their longert ade. Aa nsnal, among the Molluscs the Pectem is 

 the most common form. Among the Brachiopoda, T 

 caputterpeniU is sometimes found, and T, mifmlU < 

 Brucchi ; but neither are by any means commoii in 

 of the Calcareous Sandstone. Casts of a Pteropod o: ...~ _...-.. 

 Ht/alea, of the sise of a small pea, are very common, not only in 

 thenodule-beds, but throughout the deposit. Th' T' ' 

 are well rrpre.vute<l by abundant remains of sj 

 to / isler, l^aittHffUMt &c., all wbicii hav*: been 



des i. ... -^. i'-. i iomas Wright, F.G.S.f 



The pale-coloured variety of the Calcareous Sandstone is the 

 most extensive portion of that bed : it is overlain by a reddish 

 fawn-coloured sort, with a fourth nodule-bed about halfway. 

 The same fossils are met with, ineluding two beautiful Scaiaria. 

 Nodules of iron in the form of peroxide, or, what are more com- 

 mon, hollow masses containing a coating of sulphur, are strewn 

 in abundance throughout this portion of the deposit. The 

 average thickness of the Calcareous Sandstone is fully 200 feet. 

 It forms the surface-rock of nearly one-half of Malta and the 

 south and south-western portions of Gozo. The transitiafi 



* The nodules have not been chemicslly examined. 

 t .\uu. and Mas. Nat. Ilist. aer. 2. vol. it. 



1* 



