1845.] across the Peninsula of Southern India. 501 



formation is argillaceous limestone passing into argillaceous shales, 

 capped occasionally by sandstone. Extensive deposits of kunker contri- 

 bute much to the fertility of the soil. 



Nundaloor. The route from Codoor to Nundaloor, a distance of thirty 

 miles and upwards, lies up the valley of Baulpilly, which is obstructed in 

 many parts by rock spurs from the flanking ranges. Approaching Nun- 

 daloor the hills become barer, more conical and mammiform. Nun- 

 daloor is a small town, about 137^-miles N.W. from Madras, and situat- 

 ed on the left bank of the Baugonuddi or Cheyair stream, which flows 

 northerly to the Pennaur river, east of Sidhout ; and is here three furlongs 

 broad, with a bed of coarse sand. The surrounding formation is argillace- 

 ous and calcareous shales, schist, and sandstone : the soil is sandy ; and pro- 

 duces, among other articles, indigo and a considerable quantity of rice. 

 The rice lands are irrigated by a large tank, situated a little to the west of 

 the village, which derives its supply principally from the rain water that 

 rushes down during the monsoon from the tops and sides of the hills lying 

 to the westward. Palmyras appear to thrive in low situations in the sandy 

 soil. In some of the hills in this vicinity the lines of stratification 

 can be distinctly traced, even at a considerable distance. The strata 

 dip at an angle of 12° to the south of east; the strike of the beds 

 N. by W. The cleavage lines of the shales and schists are much more 

 vertical than the planes of stratification, forming with them an angle 

 of about 45°, but dipping in the same direction. The latter are dis- 

 tinctly marked, even in hand specimens, by alternate parallel light and 

 dark bands. The seams are often filled with friable calcareous in- 

 crustations. From a compact argillaceous slate of a light greyish green 

 with fine chloritic laminae, it passes into white and purple shales. 

 Minute spangles of mica occur disseminated. The sandstone, as we 

 recede from the granite, becomes less crystalline, and acquires argil- 

 laceous matter, though veins of white quartz are still seen traversing 

 it. The light coloured argillaceous slate, held in the platinum forceps 

 before the blowpipe, whitens and fuses into a whitish enamel ; the purple 

 shale after deepening in colour melts partially, and with difficulty, into 

 a number of minute greyish globules. With borax it fuses into a 

 light green glass, which becomes greyish on cooling ; and, with carbo- 

 nate of soda, with effervescence, into a glass of a darker green. The soil 

 here is sandy and calcareous ; debris of the sandstone, limestone, and clay 



