FOSSIL FISH. 391 



in thin leaves ; 2ndly, a white calcareous stone, tolerably 

 compact, and containing argilla ; 3rdly, another calcareous 

 stone, pretty hard, also containing argilla 5 4thly, a schistose 

 marl, very thick, and highly coloured, containing crystals of 

 gypsum ; 5thly, at fifty-six feet in depth, a fissile stone, mixed 

 with limestone, argilla, and a little bitumen, which contains 

 fossil fish, and below this is the gypseous stone. 



The remains of fishes belonging to this locality most usually 

 consist in portions more or less considerable of skeletons, re- 

 gularly disposed in a flat position, pretty nearly like those of 

 Vestena Nuova. 



Fossil fish are also found in the plaster quarries in the 

 neighbourhood of Paris, at Montmartre, Mount Valerien, &c., 

 in the fissile marl interposed betvveen the beds of stone and 

 plaster, or in the latter. They are seldom well preserved, and 

 exhibit decided traces of alteration previous to their depo- 

 sition. They are usually portions of the skeleton, like those 

 of Aix. 



In Italy, at Scapezzano, three miles from Sinigaglia, in the 

 marches of Ancona and of Monte Alto, very small fossil fish 

 are found, in an argilla, a little calcareous, bluish, of no great 

 hardness, of an uniform grain, and somewhat fissile. These 

 fishes lie in skeletons, often exhibit scales, and even evident 

 traces of soft parts. 



At the promontory of Forcara are found, without order, 

 and, as it were, moulded in an hardened argilla, mixed here 

 and there with true porous lava, fossil fish of different dimen- 

 sions. Passeri tells us that, about two miles from Pezzaro, in 

 an argilla similar to the preceding, they are also to be found. 

 M. Brocchi also informs us that some of them exist in the 

 Monte Volterrano, which M. Leman believes to be ichthyolites 

 of fresh-water formation. Faujas also mentions fossil fish 

 found at Alessano, at the very extremity of Italy, opposite 

 Corfu, and which are small, and moulded, as it were, in a very 

 white calcareous sort of clay or mud. 



In a multitude of other places ichthyolites have been found. 



