TRANSITION ROCKS INDICATED IN THE MOUNTAINS OF KEMAON. 26) 
750 ; and as tlie only road between Lohoo- 
ghat and Petoragur lies along the verge of 
these precipices for several miles, it is impos- 
sible that the most indifferent traveller 
could pass, insensible either to the danger 
of his situation, or the beauties of the scene. 
This limestone is. distinguished in the large 
scale, by its thick slaty appearance, owing 
apparently to occasional laminae of argil- 
laceous matter, which pass an uncertain 
length through each stratum, parallel to the 
strata seam's. The strata are mantle -shaped, 
rather than conformable ; or they may be 
said to partake of the nature of both. This 
variety of the rock is of a bluish grey colour, 
with a dull lustre.” 
Talking of mountain rocks, Dr. McClel- 
land distinguishes them from primitive rocks 
by their position, greater irregularities in re- 
gard to stratification, and by containing 
obscure traces of organised beings, as well 
as by certain characters presented by the 
structure of the rocks themselves. In Shore 
valley there is a black, fine-grained lime- 
stone, resting in unconformable strata, on 
clay-state. In other parts of the dis- 
trict an impure, fine-grained limestone is 
found mechanically mixed with newest clay- 
slate, in thin slaty lamillse. 
Transition rocks are clearly indicated in 
the mountains of Kemaon ; grey wacke, 
and grey wacke- slate are both absent, and 
their place is supplied by a rock com- 
posed of a mixture of magnesian lime-stone 
and argillaceous clay ; and lastly, however 
adverse to our former notions, we shall 
be obliged to admit magnesian limestone 
into the class of transition rocks.” 
The oldest transition limestone is found 
on the western acclivity of a lofty mountain 
near Lohooghat extending to the north ; it 
is scarcely stratified, but disposed in an un- 
connected succession of tabular masses, 
of the colour of Berlin blue. 
Lustre glistening. Fracture compact, 
large conchoidal. Distinct concretions, fine 
or very fine granular ; the fine granular con- 
cretions are somewhat angular, and have 
a dull dai'k-blue colour : while they are sur- 
rounded on the fractured surface by minute 
splinters, which appear to the naked eye 
like very fine white specks. 
It is opaque. It is semi-hard. 
It is entirely dissolved with brisk effer- 
vescence in acids.” 
Aluminous slate and limestone are formed 
of alternate layers of limestone and slate ; 
the limestone ingredient being generally 
magnesian . 
“ Limestone portion is combined in a mecha- 
nical alternation of layers, with ordinary- 
transition slate. 
Specific gravity of the greenish coloured 
variety, 2*75, and of the bluish kind from 
Takill, 2-647.” 
Speaking of transition limestone. Dr. 
McClelland says that it forms two varieties : 
the most important is somewhat stratified 
and conformable, and in conjunction with 
clay- slate forms whole mountains and even 
mountain groups. Beds of graphite sometimes 
intervene between the slate and limestone. 
(A) OVERLYING VARIETY. 
” This variety of transition limestone occurs 
in distinct masses, of various shapes and 
sizes ; the former frequently irregular, but 
often rhomboidal, cubical, columnar, seldom 
round. They occur singly, or in large num- 
bers, piled loosely together in the form of 
bold rugged knolls, ' mountain shields, and 
caps : more rarely, two or three enormous 
isolated blocks are so nicely balanced upon 
each other, as to convey the idea of their 
having been so placed, by some artificial 
power beyond our conception. Their exter- 
nal surface is granulated and uneven, often 
also streaked by projecting lines. 
Its colour is velvet black, with numerous 
spots and veins of white calcspar. 
Fracture, large conchoidal. inclining to 
granular foliated. Fragments, indetermi- 
nately angular, and rather blunt-edged. Lus- 
tre of the fracture, glimmering, sometimes 
glistening. 
It is opaque. It affords a white streak. 
It is semi-hard. Specific gravity, 2.8435 and 
2 - 8668 . 
Chemical characters. The same as the 
foregoing. 
It sometimes rests on the foregoing variety, 
with which it usually occurs ; it also rests on 
clay-slate, and is extensively distributed on 
mountain ridges and acclivities in the vicinity 
of Shore, between the altitudes of five and 
seven thousand feet. The spotted variety in 
particular is a beautiful marble, and would 
be highly esteemed, if within the reach of 
a people -whose knowledge of the arts enabled 
them to appreciate its value. 
Along with these limestones, beds of 
green-stone, slaty talc, and graphite are 
very common. The transition green-stone 
and the graphite are peculiar to this forma- 
tion, but the talc also occurs in floetz lime- 
stone. The stratified variety is also the 
repository of copper pyrites.” 
Dr. McClelland next notices compact 
Dolomite, mountains of which are seen rear- 
ing themselves out of the narrow valley of 
Belket. 
“ The beautiful green and blue colours of 
their naked precipices ; the picturesque form 
of their lofty summits, as well as the 
