liv PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, 



proper, that part in which the Kilkenny beds, containing Cyclopteris 

 hileniicus, Anodon Jukesii, and other fossils indicative of shallow 

 and probably estuary or fluviatile conditions, occur. The Marwood 

 sandstones of North Devon (and the Pilton and Petherwin grou])s) 

 correspond with it. To what extent the comparison of the beds 

 at INIarquise lying below this band, the Ferques and Fiennes groups, 

 and the underlying beds are to be regarded as representing the whole 

 Devonian series, is a question about which Mr. Austen and iMr. Sharpe 

 are at variance, though the much-wished-for publication of M. 

 Bouchard's lists of Ferques fossils would possibly go far towards 

 settling the matter in Mr. Austen's favour, his view being that the 

 Eifelian, Ahrian, and Rhenane series of Dumont are here represented. 

 These are points that time will certainly clear up. In the meanwhile a 

 good stride onwards has been made towards assisting our own students 

 of Devonians, who would do well to study carefully this memoir upon 

 the Marquise beds, and to ponder over the excellent and highly 

 suggestive comparative table of the succession of mineral characters 

 and physical conditions that is appended to it. 



The Devonians of the Rhenish pro^ances have lately received a full 

 share of attention, chiefly, however, in a palfeoutological point of 

 view. I shall have hereafter to call attention to several memoirs 

 bearing upon their organic history. A. fresh geological description 

 of the Eifel has been published by the veteran Steininger, illustrated 

 by sections and figures of new fossils. It is very questionable, 

 however, how far the identification of Devonian with Silurian species, 

 put forth in this work, can be accepted. The author's mistakes have 

 arisen chiefly from his retaining the old but now untenable notion of 

 the Silurian place of the German Spirifer-Sandstones. The most 

 valuable contributions to the elucidation of the German Devonians 

 are the works of the brothers Sandberger, who have done much 

 towards the definition and precise classification of this series of rock- 

 formations. 



The problem of the true relations of the Calcaire pisolitique of the 

 Paris basin is likely before long to receive some satisfactoiy solution. 

 Hitherto the balance of opinion has inclined in the direction of the 

 view so ably advocated by M. d' Archiac, and urged also by Sir Charles 

 Lyell, to the effect that the fauna of this formation and its stratigra- 

 phical relations warrant the reference of it to the tertiary series. M. 

 He'bert, on the other hand, and with much show of reason, insists not 

 only on its connection vnt\\ the cretaceous series, but also of its equiva- 

 lence to the yellow chalk of Maestricht. This question is becoming 

 one of general interest, and has already had its influence in debated 

 portions of our own geology. The views of M. Hebert are stated 

 at some length in a note on the synchronism of the Calcaire pisoli- 

 tique of the environs of Paris and the Upper Chalk of jMaestricht, 

 published in the Bulletin of the Royal Academy of Belgium. The 

 English geologists must bear in mind that the term "Upper Chalk" 

 thus used by M. He'bert, and proposed by him as a denomination 

 for that highest portion of the cretaceous series in which he would 

 place as synchronous the Calcaire pisolitique, the Faxoe chalk or 



