LOFTUS TURKO-PERSIAN FRONTIER. 261 



series. Upon the right bank of the Shtait the pebbles are large, and 

 are cemented in a calcareous paste, with large boulders of the lime- 

 stone-conglomerate of Dizfiil. Serdaubs or cellars, probably of great 

 antiquity, are here excavated in the sands and conglomerate-rock ; and 

 in the bed of the stream are huge masses of the latter, which, from 

 being undermined, have fallen from their position. The serdaubs in the 

 town are excavated deep in the sandstone ; and some little attention is 

 paid to architectural embellishments, such as columns and pilasters. 



The finer sandstone is here generally used for building-purposes ; 

 but when exposed to the atmosphere it peels off in flakes or rapidly 

 disintegrates. This character pervades the whole of the gypsum- 

 sandstones. 



Section (fig. 4) from Dizfkl to Khorremdbdd. — The road between 

 Dizfiil and Khorremabad passes only a few miles to the N.W. of the 

 section last described at Gilalahii; and here we have presented a similar 

 order of stratification. The saddle-axis has, however, sunk down ; 

 the beds dip somewhat more irregularly, and are contorted ; which 

 appears to be owing to several undulations or folds, still bearing in the 

 same N.W. direction, but having the general dip towards the S.W. 



From Dizfiil to the Baladnid River, a distance of fourteen miles, 

 the road rises over a sand- and gravel-plain, without any particular 

 order of stratification being visible. At the point where the river is 

 crossed, near a ruined bridge, the banks are 150 feet high and afford 

 the following section : — 



1 . Coarse gravel-conglomerate, with large boulders of nummulitic 



limestone. 



2. Fine gravel, and reddish calcareous sandstone, passing into 



3. Fine gravel (chert, quartz, &c.). 



4. Thin layers of red calcareous marl. 



5. Red sandstone (the same as No. 2). 



A large block, of the sandstone No. 5, had, from being undermined 

 by the river, fallen a few feet from its position. The upper surface 

 was thus exposed, and exhibited distinct ripple-marks. Upon the 

 under-surface of the overlj'ing marl, which remained in situ, were 

 the corresponding impressions, strongly marked. 



From the same cliff, and from the bed of sandstone No. 2, I ob- 

 tained relief-casts of impressions made by rain-drops, which had 

 fallen on the red clay : pieces of clay adhered to the casts. 



Between the Baladriid River and the Bedderhii Stream are gravels, 

 sands, and variegated marls, arranged in the usual order. On the 

 S-W. the gravels predominate in extensive beds ; — proceeding N.E., 

 these alternate with calcareous red sandstones, but at length give 

 place to considerable deposits of red and vandyke-coloured marls, 

 though they still occur in connection with the sandstones intercalated 

 between the marls, but without any trace of gypsum. At Hous- 

 seineah, where the sandstones are of great thickness, I procured 

 natural casts of footprints, which belong to some animal of the 

 feline order*. 



* See Note A, at the end of this paper, p. 325. 



