{WHITBAVES | PALLISER’S CRETACEOUS FOSSILS 115 
Venus (Mercenaria ?) varians, Gabb. 1864 Geol. Surv. Calif., Palæont., vol. i., 
p. 161, pl. 23, figs. 140, 140a and 141. 
Meretrix nitida, Gabb. 1864. Jb., p. 165, pl. 23, fig. 147. 
Caryatis nitida, Gabb. 1869. Geol. Surv. Calif., Palæont., vol. ii., pp. 186 and 240. 
Chione varians, Gabb. 1869. Jb., p. 239. 
Cytherea (Caryatis) plana, Whiteaves. 1879. Geol. Surv. Canada, Mesoz. Foss. 
vol. i., pt. 2, pl. 17, figs. 14, 14 a, b, but probably not Venus 
planus, Sowerby, 1812. 
Ten rough casts of the interior of single valves of this species, each 
labelled “ No. 42, Cytherea Leonensis (below the lignite), Departure Bay, 
Nanaimo, Dr. Hector, 1860, collected by Mr. Mackay.” Some of them 
are much distorted, and none of them show the imprint or impress of the 
pallial line. They correspond to the typical form of Chione varians, in 
which the length of the valves is greater than their height. 
Mr. Gabb admits that ‘there isa great resemblance” . . . “in general 
shape” between his Caryatis nitida and Chione varians, but claims that the 
former can at once be distinguished from the latter by its ‘smaller size, 
polished surface, fewer and less distinct lines of growth, and the presence 
of the deeply impressed lunule.” A comparison of a number of speci- 
mens of both these forms from the Chico group at several localities in 
California, kindly forwarded by Mr. T. Stanton, and from the Nanaimo 
group of Vancouver and the adjacent islands, has convinced the writer 
that these characters are inconstant and altogether insufficient to warrant 
their specific separation, and Mr. Stanton writes that he had previously 
come to the same conclusion. 
The specific term nitida is here used in preference to varians, as the 
latter name is preoccupied by a recent shell, the Cytherea varians of 
Hanley, the Caryatis varians of the catalogue of the shell collection of 
F. Paetel. 
THRACIA (?) SUBTRUNCATA, Meek. 
Thracia (?) subtruncata, Meek. 1857. Trans. Albany Inst., vol. iv., p. 44. 
se s* Meek. 1876. Bull. U. S. Geol. and Geogr. Surv. Terr., 
vol. ii., no. 4, p. 363, pl. 2, figs. 4 and 4 a. 
% ae Whiteaves. 1879. Geol. Surv. Canada, Mesoz. Foss. vol. i., 
pt. 2, p. 140, pl. 17, fig. 7. 
Three imperfect and badly preserved specimens, each labelled ‘‘ No. 
46, Psammobia (?), sp., below the lignite, Departure Bay, Nanaimo, Dr. 
Hector, 1860, collected by Mr. Mackay,” are doubtfully referred to this 
species. 
NauriLus. (Species indeterminable.) 
A single crushed and distorted specimen, not quite three inches in 
its maximum diameter, is labelled “ Nautilus, Stewart’s Bank, Nanaimo 
River.” Its siphuncle is nowhere visible, but a large piece of the test is 
preserved on one side, near the aperture. The surface is almost smooth 
