1892.] ^^'^ [Cope. 



A Contribution to the Vertebrate Paleontology of Texas. 



By E. D. Cope. 



(Read before the American Philosophical Society, February 5, 1S92.) 



I. Fayette Formation. 



In the First Annual Report of the Geological Survey of Texas (p. 47), 

 Mr. R. A. F. Penrose, Jr., describes this formation as it occurs in South 

 and East Texas. He places it at the summit of the Tertiary series and 

 below the " Posttertiary ;" that is, at tlie summit of the Neocene, just 

 prior to the advent of ihe Plistocene. This location is justified by the only 

 vertebrate fossils definitely traceable to these beds, which have been sent 

 me for identification by Dr. E. T. Dumble, State Geologist of Texas. 

 One of these consists of a well-preserved left ramus with symphysis and 

 nearly complete dentition of the mandible of the large lama, Holomeniscus 

 hesternus Leidy. This species is characteristic of the Equus beds of Ore- 

 gon, California and Mexico, and indicates satisfactorily the age of the 

 formation in which it occurs. It confirms fully the position assigned to 

 the Fayette beds by Mr. Penrose. The only other identifiable fossil from 

 this formation is several teeth of the Equus major Dekay. This species is 

 most abundant in the Eastern States, where the Equus beds have not been 

 certainly identified ; but it occurs also in the Equus bed of Nueces county, 

 Texas, with other characteristic species of that epoch. The specimens of 

 the two species named came from Wharton county. This is the first 

 exact determination of the age of the Fayette formation from paleonto- 

 logical data, and is therefore of much interest, as it enables us to corre- 

 late a definite horizon of the East with the Equus bed of the Pacific re- 

 gion. The determination of King and myself that the Equus bed is upper 

 Pliocene is confirmed ; since besides Penrose, Chamberlin assures us that 

 the Fayette formation (Appomattox or Orange sand) is pre-glacial. 



II. Upper Cenozoic of the Staked Plains. 



In some remains of vertebrata, obtained by Mr. "W. T. Cummins, from 

 Crosby county, Texas, and sent me for determination by Dr. E. T. Dum- 

 ble, State Geologist, three genera may be identified, and several others are 

 indicated. The three genera are Equus, Mastodon and Testudo. They are 

 enclosed in a white siliceous friable chalk, which Mr. Louis Woolman 

 finds on examination to be higlily diatomaceous. Prof. 0. Henry Kaia 

 had identified the following species : Compylodiscus bicostatus W. Smith ; 

 Epithemifi gibba Ehr. ; E. zebra Ehr. ; E. gibberula vnr. producta Ehr. ; 

 JSfavicula major Ehr. ; JV. viridLi Ehr. ; N. rostrata Ehr. ; N. elUptica var. 

 ininutissima Green; Gomphonem clavatumYih.v.; Cymbella cis<«Za, Hemp. ; 

 FragilUiria virescens Raffs var. The formation has been named the Blanco 

 Canyon bed by Mr. Cummins (First Annual Report of the Geol. Survey 



