1898] The Cretaceous of Athabasca River. 39 



calcareous bands in the Niobrara shale of Manitoba, and contain 

 foraminifera, oysters, gasteropods, &c. 



A few miles lower down the stream another outcrop of hard 

 gray mottled shale was observed. It contained, besides 

 the little calcareous dots representing foraminifera, fragments of 

 fish bones, and a few specimens of Ostrcea congesta, and was thus 

 precisely similar in general appearance to the Niobrara shale of 

 North-Western Manitoba. 



The presence of this foraminiferous horizon, with its asso- 

 ciation of other sossils, would go to confirm Mr. McConnell's 

 conclusions that these lower beds of the La Biche shales are of 

 Niobrara age. 



The Pelican sandstones and shales were not closely ex- 

 amined, but as they are evidently poor in fossils, Mr. McConnell 

 having found none in them, they would in that respect, as well 

 as in position, correspond closely with the Benton shales of 

 Manitoba, in which fossils are very rare. 



In the Grand Rapids sandstones, at Grand Rapids, a large 

 ammonite was seen, which seemed to be clearly Hoplites McCon- 

 nelli, but it was found impossible to get it out. 



An Burnt Rapids the interesting glauconitic band described 

 by Mr. McConnell as occurring in the Clearwater shales (which 

 are everywhere very arenaceous) was carefully examined, and 

 found to be very similar to some rather persistent green bands 

 in the upper portion of the Dakota sandstone along the banks of 

 Red Deer river, and in exposures in the adjoining area of North- 

 Western Manitoba, and the whole bank had very much the 

 general appearance and character of many of the Dakota beds. 



At the foot of the bank the following fossils were collected, 

 some of which had already been collected by Mr. McConnell 

 from the same vicinity : Ostrcea congesta, Caniptonectes sp. a, 

 Modiola sp. a, Nucula like A^. Coloradoensis, Stanton, Yoldia sps. 

 a and b, Callista tenuis P, Protocardia boreale ?, Panopcea sp. a, 

 CJievinitzia like C. Coalvillensis Meek, Actcwn sp. a, a gasteropod 

 of uncertain affinities and a conical \.ooX.\\\\kc\.hKi o{ Tclcosarirus. 



Eleven miles lower down the stream the Clearwater shales 

 were again searched for fossils and the following were found '• 



