Environs of Nice, and the Coast thence to Vintimiglia. 181 



Fossils. — Belemnites, very abundant. 

 Ammonites. 

 Nautili. 

 Pectens. 



Mr. Allan compares this bed to the Mulatto limestone of Antrim ; but 

 erroneously supposes it to be adventitious, extremely irregular, and of small 

 extent : it is by no means rare, and occurs regularly in its place. Localities, — 

 near the Port of Nice, Col de Villefranche, eastern flank of Mont Alban, 

 Peninsula of St. Hospice, Bausi Raussi Bay, Mont Revel, Mont Gros, Valley 

 of Falicon, &c. 



M. Risso justly considers the light-coloured limestone with green grains, 

 and the gryphitic and nummulitic beds to be the equivalents of the green-sand 

 of England; but, inverting the order in which they really occur, he places tiie 

 marno-arenaceous limestone beneath the green beds, and the light-coloured 

 limestone and dolomite, and supposes it to be the equivalent of lias. The true 

 order of superposition is, however, very apparent when examined with care. 



The rocks above enumerated as members of the green-sand formation, are 

 everywhere disturbed and contorted : so much so in some places, that they 

 might easily induce an unguarded observer to suppose them inferior to the 

 compact light-coloured limestones and dolomite, upon which they are in reality 

 incumbent. Striking instances of these disturbances are observable between St. 

 Hospice, Bausi Raussi, and Villefranche; for example, in the Valley of Falicon, 

 near La Trinite, and on the road from Nice to Menton and Vintimiglia. 



These beds appear to have been once more extensively distributed than at 

 present. A detached portion of them occurs near the Col de Villefranche, not 

 far from the little chapel : — other patches also occur on Mont Alban, the east 

 side of the valley of St. Andre, and on the road between Nice and Menton. 

 The plastic clay with lignite, which M. Risso describes on the southern side 

 of the Castalets, is improperly so called ; it is an outlier of the green-sand 

 formation. 



At the Col de Villefranche this green-sand formation seems to pass into the 

 light-coloured limestones beneath it ; for green-grained beds seem included in 

 the upper beds of the latter: this appearance is not, however, common. The 

 following sections will show the manner in which these rocks usually come in 

 contact, — order ascending. 



a. Peninsula of St. Hospice. 



1. Dolomite. 



2. Compact, llght.coloured limestone ; beds nearly vertical ; direction N.N. W. and S.S.E. 



