THE MEDITERRANEAN NATURALIST 
381 
The level of the railroad at the Notabile Termi- 
nus corresponds exactly with that of the upper- 
most nodule seam in the blue variety of the upper 
Globigerina Limestone, which is found outcropping 
at the bottom of the railway cutting. 
The upper layers of the Globigerina Limestone 
have been referred by Fuchs to the Horner 
Schichten of the Vienna basin which are contem- 
poraneous with the Langhian Series of the Miocene 
series. 
These layers were according to Mr. Cooke 
deposited on an ascending sea bottom at a depth 
of nearly 300 fathoms. 
The piece of lignite, embedded in a block of 
stone, has been presented to the Museum of the 
University by Mr. L. Gatt. C.E. the able Manager 
of the Malta Railway. 
The lignite has a brownish-black appearance and 
is in a rather advanced state of mineralization. 
It is laminated, brittle, and reveals a decidedly 
woody texture. 
It measures 11 inches in length, 4 in in breadth 
and | to 1" in average thickness. Its transverse 
section is somewhat curved presenting the form of 
a segment of a circular corona which seems to indi- 
cate that the wood belonged to the bark or outer 
layer of a trunk or branch 5 to 6 feet in diameter. 
Its substance, which is entirely soluble in boiling 
nitric acid “emits in burning” tiny reddish sparks 
and the very disagreeable smell of rotten cabbage. 
From a summary analysis made at my request 
by my friend Dr. Temistocle Zammit, the talented 
analytical chemist of the Sanitary Office, it 
appears that 90. 4 p. cent of the substance volatilize 
at a red heat and that of the residue 19. 6 p. cent, 
consists principally of oxide of iron. 
The moisture evaporated at 104° c. was 15. 4. 
p. c., which is very moderate considering that in 
certain cases it is as high as 50 p. c. The absolute 
density at 20° c.was found to be 1.31, and the 
relative 1.012. 
When a complete analysis of the substance will 
have be en made, some of these figures will very 
likely have to be corrected. 
Although this is the first occasion in which the 
occurrence of lignite in the Maltese beds is record- 
ed, I am informed by the workman, Paolo Azzo- 
pardi, who made the discovery, that some twelve 
years back, whilst working at excavating the same 
rock exactly at the extremity of the railroad and at 
a heigth of a few feet from the level of the railroad, 
I a piece of dark brown wood presenting the same 
appearance and measuring nearly 2 feet in length 
and 4 inches in breath was discovered by him and 
handed over to Mr. Crescirnanno the the- con- 
tractor, who presented it to Mr. Geneste the 
Director of the railway. 
Mr. Crescirnanno informs me that during the 
excavation of the Somerset Dock two similar 
pieces of dark-brown “coal” were discovered in the 
blue variety of the Globigerina Limestone near 
the sea level, and were presented by him to Mr. 
Andrews the Engineer; but nothing was ever heard 
of that discovery. 
I may also mention that in the geological col- 
lection of the Museum at the Public Library there 
exists several objects labelled by Sir William Reid 
| as fossil wood found in. 1855 in the blue clay at 
P>oschetto; but as some doubts have been expressed 
by eminent geologists as to the true nature of those 
specimens I consider it as premature to express at 
present any opinion on the subject. It is my 
intention to submit, with the approval of the 
Director of Education, some of these specimens 
for a thorough analysis by some competent 
specialist. 
In the same collection there exists also a piece 
of partly charred anthracite labelled found by 
Dr. Codings in the Cliffs near Casal Dingli at 
a height of 700 feet above the sea level. I need 
hardly that the indication, if genuine, is so vague 
that it has no real scientific value. 
N. Tagliafeeeo. 
SCIENCE GOSSIP. 
JJr. A. M. Edwards of 11 Washington St. 
New York U.S.A., desires to obtain, for cash 
or exchange, specimens of Infusorial (Dia- 
tomaceous) deposits or earths, some alga', 
Guanos, Coral mud or recent Infusoria. 
AT a recent meeting of the Koval Geo- 
graphical Society, Prof. Bouncy F. R. S. read 
a most interesting paper entitled “Do Gla- 
ciers excavate,” in the course of which he 
vigorously attacked the school headed bv 
1 Sir A. Ramsay, the members of which at- 
v 4 
