SOILS AND ALLUVIAL DEPOSITS. 157

Sicily. This is palpably incorrect, although there are records
of insignificant imports from the island diiring the occupa-
tion by the Knights of St. John. The alluvial deposits are
however very scanty, and composed of a brick-red calcareous
earth, containing a large percentage of iron and lime, the
latter no doubt derived from the rock formations, w];^ch are
comstantly crumbling up with the weather, and forming in-
termediate varieties of soils. The red earth, however, being
simili^ in composition to that of the other islands and lands
bordering on the Mediterranean, renders it highly probable
that it was the original or virgin soil of the islands ; more-
over, it is in this formation that many of the quaternary
remains have been found. But in various situations, also,
for example in various caves and rock fissures, I have met
with a light-blue or green tenacious variegated clay imder-
lying this deposit, and more especially in conjunction with
exuviae of hippopotamus and elephants, so as to lead to the
belief that it formed also one of the regular formations after
the first upheaval, and may have absolutely overlaid the
upper limestone, or was a deposit formed by marine or fresh-
water action. The red earth contains much peroxide of iron,
and effervesces readily with acid, as indeed do all the Maltese
soils, excepting the green tenacious clay just mentioned, that
is, when it is pure, and not mingled with nodules of lime.
