1857.] SPRATT — DOBRUTCHA. 205 



composed, although identical in mineral character with the first mass, 

 in contact with the shales, is less fossiliferous and more distinctly- 

 stratified. 



Both these masses are overlaid by about 2 feet of rubbly white 

 marl (omitted in the Section), succeeded by the reddish-brown 

 marls e, e, which are not more than 20 feet thick over the lime- 

 stones ; but are fully 40 and 50 feet thick in the intermediate spaces. 

 As none of the identified freshwater marls cap these limestones, but 

 only such as are of a doubtful age and origin, possibly connected 

 with a disturbed or changing condition in the later period of the 

 freshwater series, these limestones must have stood as ridges, rocks, 

 or islets, when the freshwater lake, which 1 believe once covered the 

 area of the Black Sea and Archipelago together, existed, and of 

 which the lower deposits south of Kustenjeh, and the upper at 

 Baljik, 400 feet above it, give some positive indications, as also, 

 I think, the freshwater limestones or marls of Odessa and Kertch. 



Between Cape Media and Kustenjeh is a freshwater lake, about 

 4 miles long and 2 broad. It is separated from the sea by a strip of 

 sandhills, which extend between the extremities of two ridges of the 

 Steppe, and terminate in a cliff at the south, towards Kustenjeh. 



The inner shores of the lake are for the most part chalky cliffs, or 

 marly banks, that were, without doubt, the sea-margin at some early 

 period ; so that this freshwater lake has been formed out of a small 

 arm of the sea, by means of the alluvial sand having been moved 

 along the coast from the Danube (by the prevailing winds and cur- 

 rents), and thus accumulated in nearly a direct line across the 

 mouth of the bay. From the existing copious springs of fresh water 

 on the shore of the bay, the enclosed arm of the sea, or salt lagoon, 

 has become a freshwater lake. The bay was also originally a deep- 

 water inlet of the Black Sea, since it has now a depth of 18 or 20 

 feet nearly all over the lake. 



The north-west shore of the lake is chiefly low banks of brown 

 marl, belonging to the superficial series. But the south-west shore 

 presents geological features of considerable interest, more particularly 

 between the villages of Kanara and Pallas *. 



At about half a mile from the former village is a small islet covered 

 by a grove of trees ; but the islet is not more than 4 or 5 feet above 

 the sea. Of this islet 2 or 3 feet is a rich soil, and the base a mass 

 of inclined strata of compact cream-coloured limestone, much re- 

 sembling that which I have noticed at Cape Media. 



(Ceratites ?), Pectines, Terebratula, Rliynchonellce, Modiola, a small Echinoderm, 

 fragments of Crinoidal stems, and Corals. A somewhat similar cream-coloured 

 compact limestone, sent by Capt. Spratt from Cape Karabournou, Roumelia, con- 

 tains fragments of Ostrcea, Lima, Terebratula, Corals, a fragment of a Crustacean, 

 and casts of univalves and bivalves. A softisb buff-coloured laminated limestone 

 from Cape Dolashma, Lake Raselm, contains numerous small Inocerami in layers, 

 and branching fucoidal bodies. — Edit. 



* These localities are shown on the map illustrating Capt. Spratt's " Route 

 between Kustenje and the Danube," published in the ' Journal of the Royal Geo- 

 graphical Society,' vol. xxvi. — Edit. 



p2 



