Palæontology to venture on determining, of my own authority, the specific characters of the organic remains found in association with the rocks, whether tertiary or post-tertiary, of the district, I have given catalogues of its fauna from the works of MM. Pomel and Aymard in an Appendix, to which the text refers at the proper place. The illustrations have been recast and engraved on wood on a reduced scale, for the advantage of their being folded into the compass of an 8vo. volume, instead of necessitating, as in their original shape, an inconvenient accompanying folio atlas.

Of the maps, that of the Chain of Puys west of Clermont is nearly in the same state in which it appeared in the first edition. And I may add that it was entirely compiled from my own observations on the spot, on the basis of a sheet of Cassini's old Survey, as I had no access at the time to Desmarest's map, from which it has, I believe, been supposed that I took the details.

The other general map of Central France is copied from the Carte Géologique de France,' of MM. de Beaumont and Dufresnoy.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

SKETCH OF THE GEOLOGY OF CENTRAL FRANCE

CHAPTER II.

TERTIARY LACUSTRINE FORMATIONS

1. Limagne d'Auvergne. 2. Cantal. 3. Haute Loire. 4. Montbrison.

CHAPTER III.

INTRODUCTORY ACCOUNT OF THE NOTICES WHICH HAVE BEEN

HITHERTO PUBLISHED CONCERNING THE VOLCANIC REMAINS OF

THE INTERIOR OF FRANCE

CHAPTER IV.

GENERAL ACCOUNT OF THE VOLCANIC FORMATION3 OCCURRING

UPON THE ELEVATED GRANITIC PLATFORM OF CENTRAL FRANCE

CHAPTER V.

FIRST VOLCANIC REGION. MONTS DOME AND THE LIMAGNE

D'AUVERGNE

1. Chain of Puys. 2. Products of earlier Eruptions.

CHAPTER VI.

REGION II.-THE MONT DORE

§ 1. The Volcanic Mountain-Its general Outline-Conglomerates.

-

§ 2. Structure - Central Peaks — Trachytic Plateaux

and Basalt.

§ 3. Recent Eruptions.

Clinkstone

Page

1

6

30

37

40

114

CHAPTER VII.

REGION III.-CANTAL

§ 1. The Volcanic Mountain. § 2. Canton d'Aubrac.

Page

145

154

CHAPTER VIII.

REGION IV.-DEPARTMENTS OF THE HAUTE LOIRE AND ARDÈCHE

1. Mont Mezen: vast Currents of Clinkstone and Basalt-

Breccias.

2. More recent Eruptions-Subsequent Excavation of Valleys-

Human Bones in Volcanic Tuff-Volcanos of the Haut

Vivarais.

Age of Volcanic Rocks-Gradual Excavation of Valleys-Original

limits of Lake-basins-Probable Changes of Level.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Plate.

VI. Valley of Villar and Plateau of Prudelle
VIII. Clinkstone Rocks, Tuilière and Sanadoire, from the Puy

X. Montagne de Bonnevie (a cluster of Basaltic Columns), above the Town of Murat (Cantal)

XII. Basaltic Plateaux of the Coiron (Ardêche), from the

XIII. Volcanic Cone and Basaltic Lava-current of Jaujac (Ardèche)

..

I. Panoramic View from the Puy Girou, 6 miles South of Clermont (Puy de Dôme) II. General View of the Chain of Puys, from the West, above the Valley of the Sioule, near Pont Gibaud III. Transversal View of the Monts Dôme, from the summit of the Puy Chopine ..

..

IV. Eastern View of Monts Dôme, from the Croix de
Pirobot, between Volvic and Channat

..

V. The Southern Chain of Puys, from the Puy de la Rodde VII. Valley of the Dordogne and Mont Dore, from the Puy Gros on the North

IX. The Valley of Chambon and the Mont Dore from the East XI. Panoramic Sketch of the Basin of Le Puy (Haute Loire) and of the Mont Mezen, taken from the Mont d'Ours XVI. Sections of Granitic Plateau from East to West and from N.N.E. to S.S.W...