SECTION AT THE SPARROW HILLS, MOSCOW. 
237 
Whatever doubts, however, we at first entertained as to the age of these 
overlying beds, were removed by examining another section on the right bank of 
the river, under the Sparrow Hills and directly opposite to Moscow, whither we 
were also conducted by Mr. Frears. Here the cliff (the highest point in the imme- 
diate vicinity of the capital) rises to the height of about 200 feet above the stream, 
and presents, with some subsidences, a highly inclined talus towards the rich allu- 
vial plain in face of it, on which stands the Devitclii monastery. This cliff occupies 
the segment of a circular sweep formed by the river, at the east end of which are 
the noble edifices of the Mamonoff palace and the Donskoi convent — on the west 
the church and village of Vorobleia. Within this space of about an English mile, 
large portions of the cliff have sunk down and form undercliffs, as shown in this 
diagram, and the edges of the beds are thus clearly exposed from beneath the over- 
lying drift of sand and northern boulders. The section of the uppermost beds is 
best seen in the lateral ravines, which here, as in so many other parts of Russia, 
open out from the river banks into the adjacent country. The relations of the 
■whole were rendered still more clear, at the period of our visit, by excavations and 
levellings on the summit of one of the chief subsidences, with the view of forming 
a terrace on which a large new church was to have been placed. This diagram 
explains the case. 
River Moskwa. 
The lowest beds, seen only in the dry summer months at the river edge, and in a small islet, are of the Black 
Ammonite and Belcmnitc shale (oi). These are overlaid conformably by whitish sands with green strise (i). Then 
follow strong bands (c) from one to three feet thick, of highly ferriferous sandstone, in parts running into concre- 
tions like those at ICoroshovo, and with numerous white grains appearing in the base. These iron-shot sandstones 
are occasionally so loaded with Inocerami that we may call them “ Inoceramus Grit," and it will presently be shown, 
that they are most characteristic of strata of this age in very distant localities of Russia. Next follows dark- 
coloured marly shale alternating with sands (d), afterwards passing up into other ferruginous sands, white and green 
(e and f). 
The strong bands (c), often of concretionary forms, are most charged with fossils, some species of which also 
occur in the underlying black shale, such as Pecten, Avicula, and Cardium. We also detected some of these forms 
in the higher beds (d). 
