Ixvi PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



sparingly in one locality out -of thirty-seven in which the Kosseh 

 fossils are found. 



M. Siiss has also communicated a paper on the Brachiopods of the 

 Kossen beds, read before the Imperial Geological Institute so far 

 back as the 23rd June, 1853. One of his objects is to show that 

 these beds belong to the inferior Lias, both by palseontological com- 

 parison and by geographical extension. He considers them to be 

 the same as the Gervillia beds of Emmerich and Schaffhiiutl, and 

 the Upper S. Casciano of Escher and Merian. This author then 

 proceeds to state that the fauna of the Stahrenberg and Dachstein 

 Limestone is identical with that of the Kossen beds, and adds that 

 the whole mass of these beds lies on the Hallstadt beds, containing 

 the fossils of San Casciano, and belonging to the Upper Muschel- 

 kalk. After describing other beds connected with these formations, 

 M. Siiss concludes by discussing ''the reasons given by some geo- 

 logists for identifying some members of them with the formations of 

 San Casciano. The whole series of Kossen fossils gives us but three 

 species identical with those of San Casciano, viz. Cardita crenata, 

 the so-called Spondylus ohlicjuus (the identity of which seems doubt- 

 ful even to M. Emmerich), and ActcEonina alpina, quoted by Prof. 

 Merian, but without giving its locality. The Avicida gryphcEata is 

 found in the Lias of England, as well as in the San Casciano beds ; 

 and according to Mr. Peters, one of our species may probably prove 

 identical with A. contorta (Portl.). 



" The stratigraphical relations, at least as far as they exist in the 

 Vorarlberg, do not appear to warrant a separation of the Kossen 

 strata from the Lias. What has been already stated is enough to 

 show that M. Escher's No. 13. Limestone with Megalodon trique- 

 ter (the equivalent of the Dachstein Limestone), and his No. 14. 

 San Casciano formation (identical with our Kossen strata), cannot 

 conveniently be considered as members of different formations. Since 

 the investigations respecting the Cephalopods of the Salzkammergut 

 have been made, there can no longer be any doubt that the Hallstadt 

 beds are the equivalent of the S. Casciano formation, nor is there 

 any reason for considering the former as only representing a portion 

 of the S. Casciano group." 



A further step towards clearing up the difficulties which prevented 

 the satisfactory explanation of the position of the S. Casciano beds 

 has been made by Prof. Merian of Bale, who has lately visited some 

 of the localities of the Vorarlberg Alps, and has communicated the 

 results of his inquiries, first, in a letter addressed to Sir R. Murchi- 

 son, and, secondly, in a paper read before the Geological Section of 

 the Meeting of German Naturalists held last year at Gottingen. In 

 the former communication Prof. Merian states that, having visited 

 the Vorarlberg with his friend M. Escher, they found immediately 

 under the Lias beds which are well developed, the Dachstein Lime- 

 stone, characterized by numerous corals and the Megalodon sciitatus 

 of Schiiffhautl. Below this Dachstein Limestone they found the 

 Gervillia beds, lately called Kossen beds by M. v. Hauer. These they 

 at once referred to the S. Casciano formation, in consequence of their 



