FOSSIL REPTILES. 235 



stone, with large spathic grains, filled with polypiers, encrinites, 

 terebratulae, and some ammonites. The second is of that sort 

 of stone especially named Caen-stone, which contains ammo- 

 nites, pinnites of particular species, and other shells, but in no 

 great abundance. The third is composed of a very hard bluish 

 marie and often pyritous, and is of very great extent. In this 

 might be found remains of crocodiles, similar to those of Hon- 

 fleur. It contains abundance of gryphites, ammonites, nau- 

 tili, oysters, terebratulse, fossil bones, encrinites, and fossil 

 wood. 



Below this is the oolitic limestone, which occupies an im- 

 mense space in the department, and furnishes almost all the 

 chalk-stone of the country. Its strata are horizontal, of various 

 thickness, and separated by potters' clay. They contain oolites, 

 belemnites, nautili, and starred encrinites. A fish has been 

 found there like the dapedium politum, taken from the blue 

 lias of Lyme Regis, by Mr. de Labeche. Its lower beds are 

 very thin, and contain siliceous rolled flints. It rests on the 

 red sandstone, schists, diabases, and marbles, which are subor- 

 dinate to it. 



Below the chalk and the green ferruginous sand, which 

 serves for its basis, is a bed of blue marie, which begins to 

 show itself at Havre, and rises more on the other side of the 

 Seine, at Henqville. In this bed near Havre some bones of 

 crocodile have been found. ' ; ^;,'p. 



Under this bed rest some vestiges of the Portland stone, and 

 below this, coral rag. Under this last are often found beds 

 three hundred feet deep, of another blue marie analogous to 

 the Oxford clay, which forms that tract called, in French, the 

 *'V^ches noirs," where crocodiles, which shall be described 

 hereafter, have been found, and also the plesiosaurus. Between 

 this marie and the Caen-stone there should be still two banks 

 analogous to those we call cornbrash and forest marble. After 

 this last mould is again a bank of oolite ; and finally, the last 



