PART II, CHAPTER XIX. 237 



Muschelkalk. 



chelkalk," or " shelly-limestone." As the fossil fauna and flora 

 of these formations supply the chasm which exists in our British 

 series, I shall say a few words of the " Upper New Red," as it 

 appears in Bavaria and Wurtemberg. First in order beneath the 

 Lias come mottled marls and sandstones, red, green, purple, and 

 white, containing gypsum and salt ; then the Muschelkalk above 

 mentioned, and then another set of marls and sandstones much 

 resembling the first. That these three formations, the Keuper, 

 Muschelkalk, and Bunter Sandstein, (see Table,) may be 

 referred to one period, appears from the fact that Count Munster 

 has obtained the same plants from the Keuper and Bunter Sand- 

 stein ; and M. Agassiz the same species of fish from both of 

 them, and from the interposed Muschelkalk. It is also worthy 

 of remark, that the strata of the Muschelkalk alternate with 

 those of the Keuper and Bunter Sandstein at their junction. 



The fossil Flora, above alluded to, consists of Cycadeas and 

 several genera of ferns, also extinct coniferre of the genus 

 Voltzia (Ad. Brongniart) peculiar to this period, in which even 

 the fructification has been preserved, (Fig. 233.) and a gigantic 

 species of Equisetum, (Fig. 234.) which is not uncommon in the 

 Keuper sandstone. 



Fig. 233. Fig. 234. 



Voltzia brevifolia, and portion magnified Equisetum columnare ; fragment 



to show fructification ; Sulzbad. of stem, and small portion of 



Keuper and Bunter Sandstein. same magnified. Keuper. 



X 



Among the shells, some of the Cephalopoda are peculiar, as, 

 for example, that form of Ammonite which is called Ceratite by 

 De Haan, in which the descending lobes, see a, b, c, Fig. 235., 

 terminate in a few small denticulations pointing inwards. Among 

 the bivalve shells, the Posidonia keuperina, Voltz. (Posidonomya 

 minuta, Bronn, Fig. 236.) is abundant, ranging from the Keuper 

 to the Bunter Sandstein ; and the Avicula socialis, (Fig. 237.) 

 having a similar range, but most characteristic of the Muschel- 

 kalk in Germany, France, and Poland. 



There are also some encrinites in the Muschelkalk, and some 

 teeth of cartilaginous fish, a few decapod Crustacea, and no less 



