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THE MEDITERRANEAN NATURALIST 
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Tlie organic remains which occur in both the 
yellow and the blue clays are, as a rule, completely 
mineralized, their substance being replaced by 
peroxide of iron. It was on this account that so 
large a proportion of the fossils which I. submitted 
to Prof. Capellini for identification were pronou- 
nced to be unrecognizable. 
The most characteristic fossils cf the formation 
are the ‘sepiosta ires’ of a Septa, the casts of several 
species of Nautilicke, arid the shells of Pecten. Ko- 
heni , all of which are very ‘numerous. 
Several species of echinoderms occur, none of 
which are peculiar to the Clays, for they are also 
found in the nodule-beds of the underlying Globi- 
f/erina -lim eston e. 
The mollusca, the majority of which are in the 
form of casts, are represented by 47 species. The 
very incomplete state of our present knowledge of 
the Globigerina-lhnestoxie, fossils will not admit of 
trustworthy comparisons being drawn between 
them and the Clay mollusca. I am, however, now 
at work on that formation, and it may be worth 
while to note here that the general facies of the 
fossils of the Clays has very much more in common 
with the Globigerina-YinientonQ fossils than with 
those of the Green, and. The Pectinidse of the 
Clays and the Greensands were critically examined 
by Dr. Simonelli, of Bologna, and of the six species 
found in the former bed all, with the exception of 
P. Koheni, occur in the Glohigerina- limestone, 
whereas P. Dub i/m and P. Reusd were the only 
species foundto be common to the Claysand Green- 
sands. P. Dehudatm is very abundant both in the 
Glohigerina limestone and in the Clays. 
The more calcareous parts of the Clays are made 
up almost entirely of foramiwifera. Dr. John 
Murray enumerates 1:.:2 species in his paper, but 
to this number I have been able to add, with the 
assistance of Mr. E. A. Earland, 31 more, the 
names of which are appended. The blue varieties 
of the Clays appear to be the richest in foraminife- 
ra, and they are generally in a good state of preser- 
vation. Where, however, the Clays, are overlain 
by the Greensands, large patches composed almost 
entirely of foraramifera extend to depths varying 
from G to 18 inches into the Clay, thus presenting 
the appearance of pockets. The most numerous 
species found in these ‘pockets’ are small Globige- 
7 into associated with Truncatulino lobatula. Of 
[ Teeth A vertebrae very 
common. 
the foraminifera found in the Glnhigerin a - 1 imesto- 
ne 94 per cent, also occur in the Clays; but of 
those found in the Greensands only 37 per cent, 
are common to the Clays. 
Fish-remains are not very abundant, and those 
that do occur are so badly preserved as to be 
scarcely recognizable. Teeth and vertebrae of 
sharks are fairly common ; teeth of Chi-ysophrys 
are rare; and teeth and spines of xEtobatis, My- 
liobatis , and Diodon are occasionally met with. 
Large-sized fragments of bones of whales, dugongs 
and other mammals are very abundant, but are 
badly preserved. 
List of the ‘Clay’ Fossils. 
Mammalia, 
Vertebrae and bones of whales, dolphins, dugongs, 
and manatees, sp. indet. ; and jaws and teeth 
of Phoca rugosid ens , Owen. 
Pisces. 
Carchhrodon megalodon. \ 
Oxyrhina , sp. 
Damn a, sp. 
yptobatis, sp. ) rn , c 
1 Meeth A spines common. 
d lyhobat: s, sp. J 
Diodon S ditto. One tooth from Chambray, Gozo. 
Chrysophrys. Teeth only, rare. 
Vertebrae, sp. indet. Very common. 
Cephalopoda. 
Aturia Atari, Bast, This is one of the commonest 
fossils of the Clays, and of the Upper Globige- 
rbm-limestone. 
Sepia , sp. See Fuchs, ‘Ueber den sogennanten 
Badner Tegel auf Malta,’ 
Pteropoda. 
Vagindla depressa, Daudin. (Very common in the 
Clays.) 
Hyalrm. (Casts only.) 
Solenoconchse. 
Dentalium , sp. indet. (Casts.) 
Gasteropoda. 
Dolichotoma cataphracta, Brocchi. 
ramosa , Basterot. 
, 2 sp. indet. 
Mu-rex vaginalus , Borson. 
, sp. indet. 
Mitra :, sp. indet, 
Xassa granulans , Borson. 
exscidaata, Biseliof, 
