420 UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE TERRITORIES. 



Scaphites Warreni, M. & H 



Plate 6, fig. 5. 



ScafMtea Warreni^ Meek and Hayden (1860), Proceed. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad., XII, 177 ; and ib., 420. — 

 Meek (1804), Smithsonian Check-List N. Am. Crct. Fossils, 24. 



Shell small, transversely subovate, moderately compressed ; inner volu- 

 tions nearly circular, closely involute, and composing a comparatively rather 

 large part of the entice bulk ; deflected body-portion short and (perhaps 

 accidentally) rather more compressed proportionally than the inner turns ; 

 surface costate, and without proper nodes ; costse small on the inner volutions, 

 where they do not differ materially in size, but on the body-part about every 

 fourth or fifth one becomes more prominent than the others, and extends 

 entirely across from the inner side to and over the periphery, in passing upon 

 which they bifurcate, or give off lateral branches, so that the whole, with 

 some intercalated ones, assume there a uniform size ; aperture and septa 

 unknown. 



Length, 1.45 inches; height, about 1.22 inches; convexity, about 0.57 

 inch. 



The foregoing description is made out from the original type-specimen 

 of S. Warreni, which is unfortunately not in an entirely satisfactory condi- 

 tion, either as to form or ornamentation, while it shows no traces of the septa. 

 I have long had under consideration some fine specimens from Wyoming 

 Territory, and other western localities, agreeing so nearly with it that I can- 

 not believe them specifically distinct, though the imperfect condition of the 

 original specimen renders the comparison not altogether satisfactory. 



Before proceeding to make a comparison of these shells, however, I 

 should remark that the specimen from which our figure 5, on plate 6, was 

 drawn, seems to have had its body-part accidentally compressed laterally, 

 while its mouth or lip probably does not end where it would seem to in the 

 figure, but may pass under the rock, and curve farther back toward the invo- 

 luted part. It is also a little doubtful whether the latter has been worked 

 out correctly, the enveloping rock adhering so firmly to the shell, that in 

 cutting it away, the inner part of the whorl is made to appear smooth instead 

 of costate, and it is not quite clear that this part is so broad as represented. 

 The same difficulty of having to cut away the enveloping rock has prevented 

 the bifurcations of the costse, particularly the larger ones, from being clearly 

 seen. When due allowances are made for the condition of the original type- 



