Page:Great Neapolitan Earthquake of 1857.djvu/242

192 rocks, and their origin is analogous to that of gypsum. The fossil characteristics of the Macigno formation belong almost exclusively to the vegetable kingdom; different species of fucus are the most remarkable, so that in some places immense numbers of impressions have been found. We met with examples of this kind in the grey marl and limestone in the vicinity of Alberona, in Capitanata, or in the red schistose marl on the banks of the little river which runs at the foot of the hill of Melfi, on the north-west side; and in the same red marl heaped together, impressions of the fucus, Colle delle macine, are found near Lama in Abruzzo Citra. We frequently find, both in the marl and limestone, branched cylindrical concretions, more or less broken, sometimes more than six decimeters in length and easily separated from the rock which contains them. We cannot doubt that they are formed from plants, and they ought probably to be considered fucoids. Small deposits of lignite are also frequent, among which it suffices to mention that of the Vallone della Salla, near Pagliari, to the south of Benevento, in which we have found the stems, leaves, and seeds of carbonized plants in good preservation. It would certainly be of great benefit to science if the species of these plants were precisely defined; we are not aware whether any one has as yet directed attention to this matter, or has published the results of his inquiries. We have not time for it, nor could difficult inquiries of this nature find a place here. As to fossil animals, to repeat our former statement, if there are any, they are very rare. In some limestone strata in the vicinity of Gaeta, which probably belong to this series of rocks, we saw some very distinct impressions of Pecten, which did not appear to us to belong to any of the living species of our seas. And in the limestone near Madonna di Macera, north of Melfi, we found a few fragments of marine shells, but we could not determine with certainty to what genera they belonged. From what has been now said, the difficulty of referring our fucoidal rocks to any formation of a determined epoch must be very evident. However, as they are subsequent to the Apennine limestone, and more ancient than the supercretaceous deposits called sub-Apennine, the