* OF CENTRAL INDIA AND BENGAL. 315 



character, force of deposition, in contained organic remains, there was 

 a marked and obvious distinction, and it was at once seen that we had a 

 new group of rocks altogether. Following up these enquiries, we found 

 what seemed to be the upper limit of this series : and from the hills, in 

 whose bold scarps and glorious precipices these rocks were best seen, 

 the name Mahadeva was given to the group in May 1856 by myself. 



Working during the same season, in Talcheer, Mr. H. F. Blanford had 

 traced out, " an absolute though slight unconformity between the grits 

 of the upper sandstone and the underlying shales and sandstones" (the 

 Damuda, as since called): I gladly take this opportunity to state that this 

 discovery of the unconformity of the two was made by Mr. H. F. Blan- 

 ford a few days prior to my visit to the Puchmurri or Mahadeva hills, 

 although the announcement of it, communicated by post, did not reach 

 me till some days after. 



The existence of a considerable thickness of sandstones resting uncon- 

 formably on the Damuda series having been thus established in Cuttack, 

 (quite independently of my own researches in Central India), the same 

 name, which I gave to those in Central India, was applied by the Messrs. 

 Blandford to these grits and sandstones. The rocks beneath these sand- 

 stones were from the identity of their imbedded fossils known to be the 

 same in both places, and to belong to the great system called by me 

 the Damuda. And it was presumed that these upper, and unconform- 

 able grits and sandstones were also identical with the typical rocks 

 (Mahadeva) in Central India. There are, I believe, strong reasons for 

 doubting this identity, and for thinking that the Cuttack " Mahadeva" 

 beds represent rather the upper grits and conglomerates of the Damuda 

 field, but until there be an opportunity of making an actual comparison, 

 the name must stand. 



This Mahadeva group, as known at the time of the earliest published 

 notice of it, Mr. Medlicott has subsequently sub-divided, adding a very 

 interesting and important group to which he has given the name 



