GEINITZ ON THE SAXON CRETACEOUS ROCKS. 17 



from time to time died out, and others have been introduced, until 

 at length the existing fauna was elaborated. 



We are unable to make any subdivisions in the tertiary formations 

 of South Italy, for we cannot trace the limits which separate the 

 tertiary from the diluvial or the diluvial from the existing period ; 

 neither can we make use of the terms eocene, miocene and pliocene 

 with reference to the South Italian deposits so far as these expres- 

 sions refer to a per-centage of extinct to existing species, and we 

 would suggest that such terms are also uncertain and arbitrary with 

 regard to other districts. 



Finally, we conclude with the greatest confidence, that the tertiary 

 formations of South Italy were not elevated above the sea at any 

 one time, but that they exhibit the result of numerous and re- 

 peated elevations which have been continued until the historical 

 period. 



D. T. A. 



2. On the Cretaceous Formation of Saxony and Bohemia. 

 By Dr. Hans Bruno Geinitz. 



The cretaceous deposits of Saxony and Bohemia include the beds 

 known by the terms Plaener-kalk and Quader-sandstein. The 

 discovery made a few years since by M. Naumann, that the interven- 

 tion of the ' Planer ' separated the ' Quader ' into two parts, is fully 

 confirmed by observations in Saxony and Bohemia ; and, according 

 to M. Glocker, Moravia exhibits additional evidence to the same 

 effect. 



The word Planer is commonly applied in Saxony to any laminated 

 rock, but more especially to the one now designated by that name 

 amongst geologists. In Bohemia it is called ' Opukcu 



The Planer being divisible into three parts, the upper, middle 

 and lower, we thus have the cretaceous series in these countries 

 made up of the following five members in order of superposition : — 



5. Upper Quader-sandstone. 



4. Upper Planer (Planer limestone). 



3. Middle Planer (Planer sandstone and marl). 



2. Lower Planer. 



1. Lower Quader-sandstone. 



1. The Lower Quader is a coarse sandstone of loose texture, 

 varying in colour from white through ochrey yellow to red or green. 

 The cementing material is calcareous, and the bed is tolerably fos- 

 siliferous, especially in the lower parts ; but its upper portion is of 

 still looser texture, and contains few fossils. It extends from the 

 neighbourhood of Dresden, where it is well-seen, chiefly on the left 

 bank of the Elbe as far as Pirna, and supplies an admirable building 

 material. The same bed })robably extends from Pirna to Tetschon an(i 

 Kcinigstein, and occurs also at Tyssa. Parts of the Saxon Switzer- 

 land also belong to this formation, although on the right bank of the 



VOL. II. — part II. c 



