THR LOESS OF NATCHEZ, MISS. 323 



Even if such shells had been found at Natchez, though there 

 is nowhere any definite record of their occurrence in the loess 

 of that vicinity, they would prove only the existence of a few 

 scattered small ponds, such as are not infrequently found upon 

 loess ridges today. 



The description of the deposit containing bones of the mas- 

 todon shows also that it was not loess. It is probably the 

 same as the deposit containing mammalian remains described 

 by Iyyell and Wailes. It was probably a deposit of mud 

 formed in marshes on the pre-loessial surface. 



Dr. A. Binney's paper gives the first* specific report of fos- 

 sils from the southern loess, and contains only terrestrial 

 forms. The list follows:! 



Helix albolabris Helix inflecta 



' ' alternala ' ' litems 



' ' concava ' ' monodon 



' ' elevata ' ' palliata 



' • exoleta ' ' perspectiva 



" gularis " profunda 



" hirsuta " thyroid us 



' ' inornata Helicina orbiculata 

 Succinca obliqua 



It will be observed that this list is nearly identical with 

 that published by W. G. Binney,| lacking but three spec- 

 cies of that list, and containing in addition Helix inornata 

 and Helicina orbiculata. All the species in this list but two 

 were collected by the writer at Natchez. The two excep- 

 tions are Helix gularis and Helix inornata. The former 

 has been noted on p. 308, and the latter {Oniphalina inornata 

 (Say) Pils.) is closely related to Omplialina fuliginosa and O. 

 kopnodes (see p. 308), and may have been confused with the 

 latter. It is, however, a southern shell, and its presence in 

 the loess of the region would not in any way affect the argu- 

 ment herein presented. 



*This is a correction of the statement made on p. 306 of this Bulletin. 

 tFor correction of generic names see pp. 307 and 308 of this Bulletin. 

 + See p. 307 of this Bulletin. 



