B flDontbl? 3ournaI of IRatural Science. 
Yol. I., No. 5. 
MALTA, OCTOBER 1st. 1891. 
/ 4/- Per annum 
\ By post 5/- 
CONTENTS. 
— o« — Page 
1 The Natural History of Malta. Rev. Prof. Hcns- 
low M.A,,F.G. S. 61 
2 Note on “Dioplodon farnesince.” Prof. P. J. Van 
Beneden. 63 
3 Climate of Cephalonia. T. M. 63 
4 Theories of of Mountain Formation. T. Mellard 
Reade, C.E.,F.G.S. 64 
5 Preservation of Algae. W. H. Walrasley. 67 
6 Sir Warington. W. Smyth MA..F.R.S. 61 
7 Vine and Olive culture in Algeria. H. E. Brun. 69 
8 Deforestation of Servia. 69 
9 Remarkable natural phenomena at Cephalonia, 
W. G. Foster. 69 
10 Observations of the Geology of the Maltese 
Islands. J. H. Cooke. 70 
11 The Syrian Greyhound. J. E. Harting. 73 
12 Science Gossip :— Survey in the Black Sea.— Sharks 
in the Mediterranean.— Ornithology of the Aegean 
Sea.— Geological Congress in Sicily, etc. etc. 75 
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D 
The Natural History of Malta. * 
By Rev. Prof. Henslow, M.A., F.L.S., F.G.S. 
THE Maltese Islands are seven or more in num- 
ber. Malta, the largest, is fifteen miles in length 
and seven and a half broad; Gozo, next in size, is 
nine by five miles; Comino, about a mile long; 
Cominetto about half-a-mile; Salmone, close to the 
scene of St. Pauls shipwreck, can be crossed in 
three minutes; Filfola, three miles from the south 
coast, is about 800 yards long; the sole quadru- 
pedal inhabitant of this little rock is a bronze-black 
variety of the green Lizard, so common in Malta. 
Lastly, the General’s Rock, an isolated fragment 
of Gozo, is noted for the Cynomoriurn coccineum 
or “Fungus Melitensis,” a curious flowering para- 
site, closely resembling in shape the fungus 
Coprinus. 
They are all composed of limestone, with one 
intercalated layer of Marl. Geologists separate 
the strata into, (1) Lower Limestone; (2) Calca- 
reous Sandstone (really a slightly siliceous lime- 
stone); (3) Marl; (4) Upper Limestone; all being 
of Miocene age. The only other epoch represented 
is the Quaternary, by tlie Cave fauna. The beds 
incline from N.E. and E.N.E.; agreeing with the 
Sicilian and Apennine chains. Though the beds 
are marine, they indicate the proximity of land by 
the presence of the Halitherium, Dugong, Mana- 
tee, Seals, Crocodiles, <fcc., found in the strata. 
About 20 species of fossil fish occur, including an 
abundance of teeth of the large Carcharodon Me- 
galodon , and of smaller sharks’ teeth, e.g., the 
book-toothed Corax aduncus , Oxyrkina (3 sp.)<l:c., 
popularly called St. Paul’s teeth. Of Mollusca, 
about 75 species are known, including ten Pectens, 
four Scalar ias, and four species of Naidilus. The 
Terebratuloe have three species. Echinoderms are 
largely represented; 45 species being known, in- 
(*) Abstract of a lecture delivered before the 
Ealing Scientific Society. 
