6 



that the following outline has been compiled. Herr 

 Fuchs must also be mentioned as the author of a 

 very able sketch on " The age of the Tertiary For- 

 mations in Malta, (Das alter der Tmtiaren Schicfi- 

 ten filr Malta}, which contains the most complete 

 list at present in existence of the various fossils 

 found in the different strata. 



The Maltese islands situated nearly in the centre 

 of the Mediterranean basin, are of Tertiary origin 

 and are now generally admitted to belong to the 

 late Eocene subdivision of that formation. It is 

 scarcely necessary to remark that the names of 

 Eocene and Miocene were given by Sir Charles 

 Lyell to the Lower and Middle Tertiary strata. The 

 Eocene fossils include only 3 per cent of living 

 species whilst in the Miocene formations the pro- 

 portion of living to fossil species is 25 per cent. 

 Dr. Adams says that " the Maltese islands are as- 

 suredly mere fragments of what had once been an 

 extensive sea-bottom, which when first upheaved 

 formed part of either Europe or Africa or both, 

 and lastly that after oscillations of level the greater 

 portion was submerged, leaving only these small 

 remnants now known to us as Malta, Gozo, and 

 Comino. " The latest theories favour the idea of up- 

 heaval after previous submergence. To quote 

 Captain Spratt R. N. " The axis of the chain 

 of the Maltese islands runs from S. E. to N. 

 W. and is about 29 miles long. Malta, the south- 



