28 GEOLOGICAL MEMOIRS. 



On a Bed of Polishing-slate/owwc? near Leitmeritz (North 

 Bohemia) in 1854. By M. Foetterle. 



[Proceed. Imp. Geol. Instit. Vienna, Feb. 23, 1858.] 



This infusorial bed, about 240 feet in extent, and in some parts 

 twelve feet thick, rests on Brown-coal sandstone. The lowermost 

 portion (about five feet) is mixed with basaltic tuff; then follows 

 six inches of unmixed yellowish-white slate, eminently rough to the 

 touch : this is separated by four inches of tuff from the upper slate- 

 bed, about six feet in thickness. This upper slate is of a more ar- 

 gillaceous nature, therefore softer and nearly greasy to the touch, 

 with thin alternating layers of darker and lighter tint. The whole 

 is overlaid by a basaltic tuff and humus, and the surface is covered 

 with wood. 



The upper slate-layer includes a number of leaf-impressions, such 

 as Cinnamomum Schuretseri (Heer), Salix varians (Heer), Ulmus 

 bicornis (Unger), and an indeterminable species of Acer, together 

 with remains of Leuciscus brevis (?), Ag., which last occurs also in 

 the lower slate, but more rarely and less distinct, the bones of the 

 head and the vertebras being generally obliterated by the deposit of 

 a menilite-like substance. The impressions from the upper slate 

 are of admirable distinctness, even in their most minute details. 

 Galionella varians is the only infusorial form hitherto found in these 

 slates, and possibly the exclusive contributor to their formation. 



[Count M.] 



On the Secondary Rocks of the Eastern Alps. 

 By M. E. Suess*. 



[Proceed. Imp. Geol. Instit. Vienna, April 23, 1858.] 



The secondary strata of the eastern portion of the Alps, especially 

 those of the Triassic and Jurassic groups, are so different from those 

 in the rest of Europe, that their real nature has been but recently 

 cleared up by assiduous palaBontological studies. Fr. Von Hauer 

 was one of the first geologists whose exertions succeeded in bringing 

 some light on this intricate and important subject. 



The petrographical peculiarity of the secondary rocks in the 

 Austrian Alps, taken as a whole, is an enormous predominance of 

 pure calcareous deposits of considerable thickness, — marly or schis- 

 tose deposits being, in proportion, of rarer occurrence and insignifi- 

 cant thickness. 



The palaeontological features of these secondaries are characterized 

 by frequent diversity and size of the Cephalopoda and Brachiopoda, 

 keeping (with some few exceptions) all other mollusca in the back- 

 ground as far upward as the Cretaceous strata, while the occurrence 

 of corals and echinoids is limited to the subordinate marls. These 

 characters concur in denoting the pelagic origin of the deposits in 



* M. Suess's memoir will be printed in full in the ' Beitrage zur Paheontologie 

 von Oesterreich,' which M. Fr. Von Hauer intends to publish. 



