2 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 6G 



ONTOCETUS OXYMYCTERUS, new species 



Type specimen. — Cat. No. 10923, Division of Vertebrate Palaeon- 

 tology, United States National Museum. The material includes the 

 distal end of the rostrum, the extremities of both mandibles with the 

 roots or portions of 10 or 11 teeth in place, as well as several im- 

 perfect teeth which were found in the adjoining matrix. 



Type locality. — The occurrence is as follows : Near latitude 34° 20' 

 12'' north, and longitude 119° 43' 20" west, in the sea cliff which fol- 

 lows the beach north of the Santa Barbara lighthouse, Santa Bar- 

 bara County, California. Range 27 west, township 4 north, Santa 

 Barbara special map, United States Geological Survey. 



Horizon. — The specimen was discovered by Mr, Charles O. Roe 

 some 35 years before he finally removed it to his home in Santa Bar- 

 bara during the year 1909. The rostrum and mandibles were found 

 projecting from the sea cliff at an elevation of about 12 feet above the 

 high water mark. The sea cliff is nearly 80 feet high at the point 

 where the skull was found, but the writer can not give any estimate 

 as to the thicloiess of the stratum or as to the relative position of the 

 specimen within it. I am indebted to Mr. Earl V. Shannon, As- 

 sistant Curator of Geology, for the following report on the matrix. 



The specimen submitted for examination consists of a dense almost aphanitic 

 laminated rock of medium olive buff color. Superficially it resembles a rhyolite 

 with a flow structure more than a sedimentary rock and this resemblance is 

 heightened by scattered nearly spherical cavities a millimeter or two in diam- 

 eter which, under a binocular microscope, are seen to be lined with minute, 

 sparkling, rhombohedral, colorless, or slightly yellowish crystals. In dilute 

 (1:1) hydrochloric acid the rock effervesces slowly in the manner characteristic 

 of a dolomite and upon warming in the acid large pieces are completely dis- 

 solved leaving little residue and with the separation of a considerable amount 

 of oily matter. The solution, after removal of iron, lime, etc., in the usual 

 manner, reacts copiously for magnesia with microcosmic salt. The rock is evi- 

 dently a fairly pure bituminous dolomite. 



No direct reference to the deposits which comprise the sea cliff 

 west of the Santa Barbara lighthouse can be found and Arnold^ 

 writes that " the structure of the coast west of Punta del Castillo was 

 not studied." This stratum of bituminous dolomite, however, prob- 

 ably represents one of the calcareous deposits which alternated with 

 siliceous deposits to form the thick series known as the lower division 

 of the Monterey formation. In the report by Arnold and Ander- 

 son,- reference is made to " massive beds of peculiar sand-colored 

 limestone with characteristic lamellar weathering." Again in re- 



• Arnold, R., Geology and Oil Resources of the Summerland District, Santa Barbara 

 County, California. Bulletin No. 321, U. S. Geol. Surv., Washington, D. C, p. 38, 1907, 



- Arnold, R., and Anderson, R., Geology and Oil Resources of the Santa Maria Oil Dis- 

 trict, Santa Barbara County, California. Bulletin No. 322, U. S. Geol. Surv., Washing- 

 ton, D. C, p. 34, 1907. 



