IxXXvi PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGHCAL SOCIETY. 



glauberite, carbonate of lime, sulphate of lime, magncsite, argile, and 

 traces of lignite. With regard to its palaeontology, the author states 

 that, strange as it may appear, not a single fossil shell has been 

 found of which it was possible to determine the species : the fos- 

 sils belong to the genera Helix, Lymncea, Planorhis, and PalucUna. 

 Melanopsis has been found in the neighbouring provinces of Guada- 

 lajara and Toledo. This is an interesting fact, inasmuch as Spain is 

 the only European region in which a true living Melanopsis is found, 

 if we except M. buecinoides or prcerosa, which is found in Greece, 

 but belongs to the Asiatic provinces, being abundant in many parts 

 of Asia Minor. 



With regard to the land and freshwater shells of this Tertiary for- 

 mation, the author observes that he has only found casts of them ; 

 and after pointing out the importance of local monographs of differ- 

 ent Tertiary districts in Spain, he observes that, " if a geologist 

 would devote himself for several years exclusively to the study of 

 the Tertiary formations of the peninsula, he has no doubt but that he 

 would discover numerous fossils of many classes." 



Mammalian remains, however, have been found in a better state 

 of preservation, and these are decidedly characteristic of the Miocene 

 age. No bones have been found in the upper or limestone zone in 

 this province ; but they occur in the underlying marls and in the 

 neighbouring province of Toledo, near Barcience. The characteristic 

 species which the author has met with are Mastodon angustidens, 

 M. tapiroides, Palceotherium Aurelianense, and Hipparion, and a 

 questionable case of AnoplotJierium murinum. For better identifica- 

 tion the author has added engravings of most of the dental remains 

 which he found ; and in addition to those mentioned above is a molar 

 tooth of Mhinoceros Matritensis, Lartet, a molar of Sus, probably S. 

 Loclcarti. Sus palceochoirus has also been found near Madrid, but 

 the author had not seen it, as well as molars of Palceomeryx, pro- 

 bably P. JBojani. 



The author then describes the different elevatory actions to which 

 the Cretaceous and Tertiary formations have been subjected. These 

 have evidently been both partial and general ; but, as the author 

 observes, much remains to be done, in Spain particularly, to enable 

 the geologist to reduce the elevatory phenomena to anything ap- 

 proaching a perfect system. The concluding portion of the work is 

 devoted to a minute examination and description of the deposits of 

 the Quaternary or Diluvial period ; the various phenomena attend- 

 ing them and the different rocks of which they are composed are 

 analyzed with great care. Traces of glacial action are uncertain ; 

 the author rather inclines to the belief that the Diluvial beds owe 

 their origin to aqueous causes ; a certain amount of stratification is 

 generally visible. The Diluvium may be separated into three divi- 

 sions ; the uppermost, which is most seen in this province, consists 

 of sands, the second of marls and clay, and the third or lowest of 

 gravel or stone. These are the terms usually applied by the workmen ; 

 but, as the author observes, there are clays and gravel in the upper- 

 most, gravel and sand in the second, and sand in the lowest beds. He 



