of Serpentine^ StC. in the Apennines. 197 



rocks, yet they are still more than them considered as be- 

 longing to the Alpine or inferior sediment formation ; and 

 we there find, as in the preceding mountains, in the midst 

 of a dull marly argillaceous slate, which appears almost 

 homogeneous, which is black like the slate of Claris, which, 

 far from resting on the beds, forms part of it; we there find 

 ammonites of the same species of that of the lake of Como. 



The specimen I possess comes certainly from the calca- 

 reous schist of Oberhasli, a canton geographically diflferent 

 from that of Glaris, but geologically the same : for that 

 country forms part of the calcareous chain which contains 

 the Eigerhorn, and Mont Doedi ; the rock moreover that en- 

 velopes this ammonite entirely resembles the numerous marly 

 argillaceous slates, or black calcareous slates of the moun- 

 tains which have served me as examples ; but as I shall pro- 

 bably have occasion io return to these mountains, in a note 

 on the position of the fossil fish of this valley, I consider it 

 sufficient to notice this part of the Alps in the number of 

 rocks that may be compared with the calcareo-sandstone 

 rocks of the Apennines. The calcareo-sandstone forma- 

 tions, essentially composed of compact smoke grey limestone, 

 with spathose veins, of schistose marly limestone, of calca- 

 reous and micaceous sandstone, which, in part of the Apenr 

 nines, are situated immediately beneath the serpentine for- 

 mation, appear to me very different by their mineralogical 

 characters, and their epoch of formation, from the ancient 

 transition rocks, generally admitted as such, and which I 

 have cited at the commencement of this comparison. 



They even appear to me to possess more the characters of 

 sediment, and to indicate a formation still more recent than 

 the Alpine rocks I have just mentioned, and which are com- 

 posed of brownish limestone, and micaceous argillaceous 

 slates, sometimes containing organic remains, and generally 

 described updgr the name of Alpine or inferior sediment 

 rocks. 



