the Musc/ielkal/r, Sfc. , 321 



The mountain of Ilecniberg, near Gottlngen, a^d^he 

 environs of Hildesheim present many analogous rarities. . 



Remains of fishes have occasionally been observed in this 

 limestone, especially the scales, and the remains of marine 

 animals perhaps of genera approaching the manati ; they are 

 generally the remains of maxillary bones, the long bones of 

 ribs, and vertebrae. I have observed organic remains bearing 

 some resemblance in form to confervas. 



Fossils have also been remarked which rather belong to 

 more recent strata, such as the asteria ophiurus. (Tentleben), 

 which reappears in the quadersandstein, and the belemnites 

 poxillosus, Schl. (Gottingen and Werkershausen) and the 

 echinites pustulosus. (Eckorsleben). But it should be re- 

 marked that these fossils are found very rarely and in the 

 very uppermost strata of the deposite, and that they should 

 not be mentioned in a list of the characteristic fossils of the 

 muschelkalk of Germany and France. 



The encrinites, the terebratulae, the ammonites, the re- 

 mains of the Isis ? some bivalves and univalves do not the 

 less remain the characteristic and important fossils. 



After this sketch of the general characters and fossils of 

 tlie muschelkalk, we shall mention its principal varieties or 

 subordinate beds. 



The limestone sometimes passes into marl, especially in 

 its upper strata and also decomposes into marl : it is occa- 

 sionally very compact and nearly without shells, it is other- 

 wise very shelly, so that it sometimes has the appearance of 

 an aggregate of organic remains, and slightly resembles some 

 beds of the oolite formation and zechstein ; this occurs, for 

 example, near Fraukenhausen. A peculiar oolitic structure 

 is met with in the lower strata of some localities, as at 

 Bensdorf, Schorbe, near Ecinberg, and generally on the con- 

 fines of Hanover and the small principalities of Westphalia, 

 Buckeberg, &c. 



Small granular masses are rarely found ; beds are more 

 frequently observed which are more or less cellular with 

 angular cavities, nearly resembling those of some magnesian 

 limestones of England ; these limestones are yellowish, per- 



X 



