660 ' REPORT — 1901. 



kilometres— is occupied by a large lake, the Birket el Qurun, and an inliabited 

 cultivated district, irrigated by a canal, entering the depression from the Nile 

 Valley. This central part is surrounded by an arid desert, rising by a series of 

 escarpments to varying heights, those on the north side attaining an elevation of 

 400 metres above the lowest part of the depression. The depression is cut out in 

 rocks of Eocene and Oligocene age, but within the hollow still younger deposits, 

 of Pliocene and Post-Pliocene date, are found. 



The lowest beds exposed in the depression are the clays, marls, and limestones 

 with Nummulites r/ixhensis of Middle Eocene age. These are succeeded by a 

 group of marly limestones and gypseous clays which largely underlie the 

 cultivated alluvium of the Fayum. The latter are followed by a series consisting 

 of clays, sandstones, and calcareous grits, some beds of which are characterised 

 by the 'abundance of Operculina and small nummulites. This last group is 

 followed by the uppermost Eocene marine beds, an alternating series of clays, 

 sandstones, and limestones, the ' Carolia beds" (equivalent to the upper 

 Mokattam' of Cairo), characterised by an abundant invertebrate and vertebrate 



fauna. 



Above the Carolia beds, and well marked off from thein both litliologically 

 and palffiontologically, is found a great thickness of variegated iluvio-marine 

 sands, sandstones, clays, and marls, divided near the summit by one or mora 

 intercalated lava sheets. 



The beds above the basalt are certainly of Oligocene age, and probably a large 

 part of those below ; but the basal beds appear to represent the Upper Eocene, 

 there beino' evidently a perfectly gradual transition from Eo2ene to Oligocene in 



this area. 



Durino- a survey of the area in 189S the author found that certain strata or the 

 series were veritable ' bone beds,' being crowded in places with the remains of 

 crocodiles, ribs of cetaceans, fish bones, and coprolites. 



In May 1901 he returned to the district with the special object of re-examining 

 and more carefully searching the most promising beds, and on this expedition 

 he was accompanied by Dr. C. W. Andrews, of the British Museutn (Natural 

 History). On their return journey to Cairo they were most fortunate in crossing 

 the Eocene escarpments at' a point where a considerable number of marine and 

 terrestrial vertebrate remains lay exposed on the surface of the bone beds, and a 

 fortnight's careful work resultedin an unique collection of entirely new mammals 

 and reptiles. 



A preliminary description of the most interesting of these is now being 

 published by Dr. 'Andrews in the ' Geological Magazine,' and Capt. Lyons intends 

 to issue as soon as possible a complete survey memoir on the district by the 

 author, with a description of the vertebrate remains by Dr. Andrews. 



3. Report on the Movements of Underground Waters of N.W. Yorkshire. 



See Reports, p. .3-37. 



4. On the Physical History of the Norwegian Fjords. 

 By Professor Edward Hull, M.A., LL.D.,^F.B.S'., F.O.S. 



That the Norwegian fjords were originally river-valleys is a statement which 

 scarcely admits of controversy. In their form, outline, and topographical position 

 they are simply prolongations of the valleys which descend into the sea partly 

 submerged ; and if the land were still further submerged, as it once was to the extent 

 of 200 metres according to Andr. M. Hansen, the fjords would be prolonged 

 beyond their present inland limits without much variation of form. 



The process of valley erosion by rain and river action is nowhere in Europe 

 more admirably exemplified than in Western Norway, and the process may be 

 supposed to have been in operation in the early formation of the fjord clianneb 



