THE ROCKS AND MINERALS OF CEYLON. 



By A. C. Dixon, B.Sc. (Honors) London. 



The science of Geology divides itself naturally into three 

 departments : 



(a ) — The study of rocks, or Petrology, 



(b.) — The study of the minerals of which rocks are 



composed, or Mineralogy, 

 {c.) — The study of the remains of animal and vegetable 



life contained in the rocks, or Palaeontology. 



To the one who makes this last division his object of 

 research there is but a poor field before him in Ceylon, save in 

 the north of the Island ; but for the one interested in rocks and 

 their component minerals, there is plenty of scope for research. 

 Geological time is divisible into three great periods separated 

 by great breaks in time, bat this cannot really be the case, for, as 

 nations have sprung up and passed away gradually, so also have 

 formations. These have always been and will be continuous. 

 Although in England we have great g~aps separating one forma- 

 tion from another, yet we have beds of passage in several parts 

 of the world, which bridge over these gaps and so form a 

 connecting link. 



The three great epochs of geological time are the Palaeo- 

 zoic or old life period, the Mesozoic or middle life, and the 

 Cainozoic or recent life. 



Each of these has numerous divisions. The bulk of this 

 Island consists of ancient sedimentary beds ; whether deposited 



