OrANTS AND PIGMIES. 



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ffnrT the Sbrbonne, Paris, respectively. We find this foTmatioi> 

 in the Basin of the Rhone between this river and the Var with 

 many localities, having A^^^K)nites with sii«h distinguished' 

 names as Murchisoni and Piirkinsonj, t^'C, and fascinating 

 names as Calypsa, Circe, Nilssoni^ &c., with these are associated 

 Bacculites and Beleninites, This formation enters very largely 

 into the constitntion oi the several Alps, High, Low, Maritime,. 

 Jurassic and Khaetian. In the High Alps du Brian9onnais,. 

 Lory gives as elevations of this forn>ation,. Mount Christoul,. 

 8872 feet; Mount Joux, 8170 feet; Ponsonniere, 8310 feet;: 

 Chaberton, 10,148 feet. The Amnwnites and their associate* 

 disentombed from these beds, unmistakably indicate that 

 during the Liassi^c Period o-f the Earth's History the strata 

 were in process of formation in the depths of the sea. When 

 and how they came to occupy their present Alpine position wo- 

 shall afterwards indicate.— We go to- still loftie-r mountains,, 

 the Hin>alayas. In the high passes of these- mountains at a 

 heigh, of 16,200 feet above the sea level, we are informed 

 that Captain Alexander Gerard discovered Ammonites, similar 

 to the liassic species. This is 6>000 feet higher than the 

 elevation of Mount Chaberton of the Alps. — Coming to our owa 

 Dominion we find among the Jurassic coal bearing rocks of the 

 Queen Charlotte Islands in the Pacific, Ammonites collected 

 by the late Mr. Richardson and Dr. G. M. Dawson of the- 

 Geological Survey. Associated with these are Scaphites, 

 Haiuites, T Trilites, Belemnites and Nautilus. These have- 

 been named and compared with the Cephalopods of the Alps^ 

 by Mr. Whiteaves of the Geological Survey of Canada. They 

 resemble in names and beauty of preservation the Lower Chalk 

 Cephalopods of Folkestone (N^o. 15). Our Halifax " inteera 

 during the expedition of 1883 collected^ among otht. curios,** 

 some fine speci'.»ens of Ammonites placenta and Baccidite» 

 @vatus. Some of the Ammonites are of large size and greafc 

 beauty, resplendent in pearly " sheen," like a polished Nautilus. 

 The Bacculites are fragnwintary, but have the same pearly 

 lustre. This Cephalopod may be regarded as an uncoiled and 

 straightened Ammonite — straight as t. walking stick. AH 

 these> like their English^ European aud Asiatic cangeuers^ 



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