208 J. H. Cooke— The Pleistocene Beds of Malta. 



length it is cloaked with indurated loams and agglomerates, which 

 towards the centre extend across the valley and form a broad flat 

 plain between the slopes. In several places on the northern side 

 these accumulations attain a thickness of from 10 to 15 feet, but the 

 average depth is four feet. The beds are analagous in character to 

 the loams in the Dueira, II Kala, and other elevated districts of the 

 islands, but owing to the difficulties in the way of properly irri- 

 gating the district these beds have not been much disturbed by the 

 agriculturist. Near Mizieb-ir-Eih the deposits attain a considerable 

 thickness, and where they have been broken up they have formed 

 a rich, red, fertile soil. They consist of a heterogeneous assemblage 

 of rock-fragments and loam, all of which have been derived from the 

 Miocene beds in the vicinity. In parts, the breccia that has thus 

 been formed is so indurated that it has been cut out in blocks and 

 utilized by the husbandmen for the building of walls and cattle- 

 sheds. The beds attain their greatest thickness in the bottom of the 

 valley near Mizieb-ir-Rih and Hofriet-migdun, but as the slope rises 

 they thin out and disappear. Land-shells, fragmentary and entire, 

 abound, and several fragments of mammalian bones were found, 

 probably Cervus. Southward equally interesting sections are to be 

 seen. No part of either Malta or Gozo exhibits so many evidences 

 of stratal disturbance as does that which lies between Karraba and 

 Kammieh. The cliffs are fissured in all directions, aud considerable 

 faults have been formed. In the centre of this disturbed region is 

 a talus of red loam and angular and subangular debris of Upper 

 Coralline Limestone origin, which extends from the summit of the 

 cliffs to the sea-shore, a distance of between 250 and 800 feet. It 

 bears a striking resemblance to the elephant beds at Malak, but the 

 only remains that I could discover after many diligent searches were 

 comminuted fragments of Helices and other land-shells. All of 

 the plateau valleys exhibit evidences of the presence of similar 

 beds. It will therefore be sufficient if I draw attention to one 

 which, besides being noteworthy in many details, is also easy 

 of access. 



The slopes of the Imtarfa plateaux are marked by deposits which 

 are very typical of the superficial beds of the plateau region. They 

 exhibit the following sequence : — 



in. 



a. Alluvial soil. ......... 18 



b. A slightly indurated red loam, intermixed with subangular 



boulders ......... 24 



c. Friable loam and fine gravel, with remains of broken land- 



shells 24 



Besides the preceding deposits, which I have described as being the 

 most noteworthy and as being typical, there are numerous other 

 localities in which I have noted patches of Pleistocene beds. All of 

 the bays on the eastern and south-eastern coasts of the island have 

 stratified accumulations of loam and rock-fragments lining their 

 slopes and higher reaches. To the north of Cala di St. Tommaso, 



