LOFTUS TURKO-PERSIAN FRONTIER. 275 



probable that these marls are a prolongation of the beds which crop 

 out on the north side of Chaouni, from under the Mungerrah section, 

 and rest upon the curve of the Bi A'b (see fig. 8). 



It has been previously mentioned, that in the centre of the trough 

 of the Kerkhah (fig. 4) a slight curve of limestone occurs at Pdl-i 

 Tang, " the Bridge of the Cleft," through which the river flows at 

 a depth of 100 feet. At the point where the river issues from the 

 gorge, and where the limestone again dips under the gypsum and 

 marls, upon the right bank, several large blocks have been from some 

 cause or other torn from their places and overturned, — perhaps by 

 the force of the stream when very high. The under-sides of these 

 blocks are composed of layers of Scutella (sp. undesc.) with abundant 

 casts of Turritella, Pecten, and other shells. The same limestone 

 probably curves upwards, and surmounts the great range of the Kebir 

 Kiih (fig. 4). 



Niiah (Noah ?) Kiih, the S.W. edge of the trough of Kirrind, is 

 a saddle of highly crystalline grey limestone, of the usual character 

 (see fig. 9). Upon its summit is a conspicuous rock called Piil-i- 

 Now, containing a large cavern with stalactitic columns. At the 

 mouth of the cave the crystalline limestone is covered by a thin bed 

 of compact, yellow, calcareous marl, containing Num. 'perforata in 

 great abundance. This marl has undergone considerable disturbance 

 during or immediately subsequent to its deposition ; for its upper 

 layers are broken, and pass into a calcareous paste, containing small 

 angular fragments of the marl, and also abounding with N. perforata. 

 This is the only locality where such fine specimens of this species 

 have been met with in the immediate vicinity of the Frontier. A 

 single specimen shows a passage from N. perforata^ D'Arch., into 

 iV. Bellardiiy D'Arch. (a Nice species), as pointed out by Mr. T. 

 Rupert Jones, to whose kindness I am indebted for the determination 

 of the Foraminifera mentioned in this paper. 



From the neighbourhood of Kirrind, the natives brought me spe- 

 cimens of iV. Biaritzensis, D'Arch. ; but they would not indicate the 

 spot from whence they were procured. 



Section (fig. 9) betiveen Kirrind and Mahidesht. — A magnificent 

 section of the Nummulitic rocks and of the underlying beds is pre- 

 sented between Kirrind and Mahidesht, on the road to Kermanshah. 

 At the first-mentioned place the rock behind the village dips at an 

 angle of 7^° towards the S.W., and the edges of the several beds of 

 which it is composed may be well examined within the gorge at the 

 gardens and spring. The rock rises to the height of 1500 teet above 

 the plain ; but the total thickness of a vertical section of the beds, as 

 far as visible, cannot exceed 800 feet. We here have 



1. (fig. 9, 3 a.) Compact beds of white marble, very hard and sac- 



charoidal. 



2. (3 ^.) Compact white marls, and limestone. 



3. (3 c.) Thin bed of limestone and red sandstone breccia. 



4. (36^.) Thin bed of small rounded gravel of coloured chert. 



u 2 



