194 Mr. E. B. Newton on Fossil MoUusca &c. 



According to information received from ]\lr. Parkinson, 

 lliese fossiliferous beds extend for over 50 miles in a direction 

 parallel to the coast. In his description of the geology of 

 this region (Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. 1907, vol. Ixiii. pp. 309 

 & ol2) Mr. Parkinson included the beds in the " Ijebu 

 Series," which he placed between some younger deposits 

 without fossils called the " Benin Sands " and the " Lignite 

 Seiies " with obscure plant-remains, which was regarded as 

 of older age. Above the " Benin Sands " was placed the 

 "AlluviuH)." 



Some imperfect impressions of shells obtained from bore- 

 liolcs and a section in the Ijebu District were referred to in 

 the same paper as having been examined by Mr. Henry 

 Woods, who recognized Cardiumi^), Area {?), Astai'te(?), 

 (I'ari (Psonwiohia?), Meretn'x {?), and a Natica. These 

 forms were not figuied, nor was any opinion offered as to 

 their particular facies or their geological liorizon *. 



The matrix accompanying one of the specimens under 

 description is a drab-coloured, argillaceous, compact sand, 

 which is easily severed with a knife as well as readily 

 pulverizing with friction; it has entirely escaped any oily 

 imp) agnation, and therefore exhibits the natural character of 

 the deposit. The remaining shells are associated with 

 apparently the same sandy formation, but of a very dark 

 blackish-brown colour, caused by the saturations of petro- 

 leum ; many of the specimens are without any testaceous 

 layer, being simply casts with jet-black lustrous surfaces, 

 wliilst others, possessing thicker shell-structures, present a 

 snow-while appearance, besides being i'requently decorticated 

 and of shrcd-like charactei", after the manner of asbestos. 



The MoUusca represented consist mainly of Pelecypoda, 

 with some indeterminable Gastrojioda and one Scaphopod. 

 The whole of the forms appeal- to be of fairly shallow-water 

 habit and accustomed to santiy areas. As the border region 

 of the province of Lagos consists of an extensive lagoon 



* Some small fossils from these bore-holes, including the Meretriv (?) 

 examined by Mr. Wood«i, have been forwaraed to the writer by Mr. Par- 

 kinson. They consist of Peleeypod casts, a fragmentary Detitalium {?), 

 &c., and some obscure fish-fragments ; and, althuugh indeterminable, it 

 is certain that they are in no way connected with the shell fauna found 

 in the Intumon-bearing beds, appearing to be much older — so much so 

 that, with more material at command, they could possibly be compared 

 with an Eocene fauna from the Kamtrun district described in recent 

 years by Dr. Paul Oppenheim (* Beitrage zur Geologie von Kamernn — 

 Dr. Ernst Esch Expedition,' 1904, pp. 246-285, pis. vi.-ix.). But among 

 these fossils is an isolated fragmtntary Peleeypod vahe bearing a 

 Cretaceous facies, wiiich will be presently leferred to (see p. 201). 



