68 W. BLANFORD^ WESTERN INDIA. [PaRT I. 



channels into the alluvial deposits,, and the neighbourhood of their banks 



is often a network of ravines^ the result of denudation. The rivers now 



appear never to overflow their banks ; in shorty they are clearly denuding 



and not depositing streams. 



There appears, however, good reason for believing that these alluvial 



deposits are fluviatile. They are certainly in great 

 Alluvium fluviatile. 



part, and probably altogether, fresh water, for they 



contain fresh water shells, and the only question is, whether they are flu- 

 viatile or lacustrine. The former appears the more probable (a) for the 

 following reasons : 



Isi. — The occurrence of rolled pebbles everywhere towards the base. 

 'Rolled pebbles and iso- ^^^n the bones are isolated, and roUed, smgle 

 lated bones. ^^^^^ frequently occurring. If the deposits were 



lacustrine, pebbles could only occur at spots where streams entered the 

 lake, and if bones were found elsewhere, it might be expected that they 

 would occur not isolated, but together, as partial or perfect skeletons, as 

 they must be derived either from carcases floated into the lake, or from 

 animals such as Hippopotami or crocodiles which had lived and died in the 

 waters. Complete skeletons might of course also be found in fluviatile 

 deposits ; it is solely the presence of isolated bones which is characteris- 

 tic of beds accumulated by the aid of rvmning water. 



2nd. — The ' uniform appearance and absence of stratification in the 

 Absence of stratifica- ^lay^ or marl has been quoted as proof of lacustrine 

 tion in c ay. origin. But it is a common and almost typical char- 



acter of river deposits, as may be well seen in those of the great Indian rivers. 



3rd. — The character of the mcUuscan remains. All the fresh- water 



shells found are of species such as are met with in 



Fossil mollusca. 



rivers at the present day. The only difference which 

 can be traced is the absence in the gravels and clays of many species 



(a). I am compelled to differ from my colleague Mr. Theobald and from some other ob- 

 servers. It is true my observations have been in different districts from those previously ex- 

 amined, but still the beds are so similar that they must, I think, have all had the same origin. 



- ( 230 ; 



