EAJMEHAL GROUP. 65 



conviction that the grits which underlie the traps had been disturbed and denuded 

 prior to the first overflow, this does not seem probable. 



The bed also is very local in its development ; for, although so thick and so well 

 marked about Meghi and Lohundia, to the west of the hills, it seems to disappear 

 entirely on the other (eastern) side of the same range, near Burhait, while towards 

 the south also (near Hura and south of that village) ^it is either wanting, or is 

 represented by the thin strip of sandstone which rests upon the lowest trap flow, and 

 contains a few JPalceozamia fronds. South of the Chuperbhita Pass this bed seems 

 to be wanting, tmtil we find it again represented in the Mahwagarhi and Dobrajpur 

 hills, south of the Puchwara Pass, and in the vicinity of the Bramini stream ; while 

 here also, to the east of the Puchwara Pass, as generally through the eastern portion 

 of the hills, this sandstone seems to be wanting. 



All these coarse sandstones are more or less irregular and local. Occasionally 

 they all contain traces of Palceozamia leaves, and in most cases it is obvious that 

 the differences in their alternations with tbe flows of trap are due to the local non- 

 contemporanety of the latter. 



Continuing to descend in the section, we find the next bed (No. 12) a black 

 carbonaceous shale also, finer in grain than No. 8. It is a thin run, never exceeding 

 9 or 10 feet, and generally not more than half that thickness. Eesting upon the top 

 of it, and immediately underlying the trap, is a band only a few inches thick, — but 

 very constant in character over a considerable area — of pisolitic brown oxide of iron, 

 the grains being rather larger than the seeds of mustard. Although it is not easy 

 to see how this curious bed has originated, its persistence in mineral character and 

 in thickness over a very large area is very remarkable. 



It occurs throughout the hills, between Meghi, Lohundia and Hura on the west 

 sides, and the Burhait Valley to the east, while traces of the same bed are seen still 

 further south, near Kurmatand and Telobad, and in all probability they extend still 

 further. The black shales, which form the great mass of this deposit, are distinguished 

 by their being invariably found broken up into small, flaky, polygonal fragments." — 

 (Palceontoloc/ia Indica, II) 



Allusion has already been made on page 16 to the conclusions at 



which Dr. Feistmantel has arrived regarding 1 the age and correlation of 



these rocks with the European system. To Dr. FeistmantePs paper in 



the Records, and. to the Palceontologia Indica, the reader is referred for all 



information on the subject of the fossil flora. 



Besides the flows of basaltic trap above described, there are other 



igneous rocks in the Rajmehal hills, which, being 



Ot er igneous roc s. probably of or about the same age, may fitly be 



described here. 



i ( 219 ) 



