Geological Society. 291 



PHOCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 



GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



March 8fch, 1911.— Prof. W. W. Watts, Sc.D., M.Sc, F.R.S., 

 President, in the Chair. 



The following communication was read : — 



' Contributions to the Geology of Cyrenaica.' 

 By Prof. J. W. Gregory and others. 



(ii) Notes on the Kainozoic Mollusca. By Eichard Bullen 

 Newton, F.G.S. 



The Author determines a number of mollusca which are recog- 

 nized as belonging to various members of the Kainozoic System, 

 namely, post-Pliocene, Helvetian-Tortonian or Vindobonian, Aqui- 

 tanian, Priabouian, and Lutetian. The most abundant of the post- 

 Pliocene series is Oerastodenna edide, a species largely distributed 

 over Northern Africa and the Mediterranean countries generally. 

 Among the Helvetian-Tortonian forms are Alectryonia of. virleti and 

 Strombus cf. coronatus — well known in North African rocks of 

 this age, as well as in those of other Mediterranean regions. 



The Aquitanian shells present a relationship to the ' Schio- 

 sehichten' fauna of Northern Italy, and consist mainly of Pectinoid 

 species, such as Pecten vezzauensis, ^quipecten cf. pasinii, and 

 Spondylus ciscdpinus, etc., associated with ^quipecteii zitteli, 

 uiEq. camaretensis, and ^q. scahrellus, which are indicative of the 

 later age — Burdigalian or Helvetian. This admixture of species, 

 according to Dr. Oppenheim's memoir on the ' Schioschichten,' is 

 also known in the fauna of those rocks, Foraminiferal organisms 

 (Operculiua, etc.) occur in these beds, but no nummulites. Lepido- 

 cyclina clephantina, a good Aquitanian species, is found with 

 Oopecten rotundatus from Birlibah. 



The most characteristic of the Priabonian mollusca is Pecten, 

 arcuatus, a species occurring in Northern Italy, the Balearic Islands, 

 Algeria, Tunis, the Balkan Peninsula, Armenia, etc. A new 

 species of JEquipecten is described. Nummulites abound in these 

 rocks. 



An indeterminable ostreifo'l-m shell has been collected in the 

 neighbourhood of Ain Sciahat, associated with the large Nummulites 

 gizehensis — thus demonstrating that Lutetian rocks are present in 

 Cyrenaica. So far as the mollusca are concerned, nothing older 

 than Lutetian has been observed in this collection. 



