279] B. Wade 81 



stone, and it is quite distinct. The rare genus Pulvinites is 

 herein for the first time introduced as an American form. 

 The analogous species, as well as that of Gervillia, occur in 

 the Baculite limestone of France and Normandy, which I 

 believe is referred by d'Orbigny to his Senonian Stage, the 

 same in which he included the Cretaceous fossils of North 

 America. 



" It is interesting to find bivalves of so remote an era in 

 sufficient preservation to exhibit generic characters as clearly 

 defined as they are in living shells. In this condition are 

 the hinges of Gervillia, Pulvinites, Ctenoides and Cardium. 

 Here are also specimens of Baculites and Scaphites which 

 exhibit the interior divested of all extraneous matter, and 

 delight the eye with exquisite curves of the foliated septa, 

 whilst the shells glow with brilliant iridescent tints. 



" This beautiful series of Cretaceous forms seems to be very 

 limited in geographical distribution, so far as our present 

 knowledge extends. It is probably unknown as yet beyond 

 the limits of Tippah County, which borders on Tennessee. 

 No account has been given of such a group by the State 

 Geologists of Tennessee or Alabama. Dr. Spillman informs 

 me, ' The fossils you have now under examination were found 

 in the bluffs of Owl Creek, three miles north of the town of 

 Ripley,' and he concurs in opinion with me that they might 

 properly be named the ' Ripley group.' He also remarks that 

 Ammonites placenta occurs in it with the shell preserved, and 

 that in connection with the Ripley group, or in the same 

 locality, are ' Exogyra costata, Gryphaea mutabilis, Ostrea 

 plumosa, Natica petrosa, Nautilus DeKayi, etc., with the shells 

 more or less preserved, in an argillo-calcreous marl/ but none 

 of these species are contained in his collections sent me from 

 Tippah County/' Conrad, 1858. 



After this announcement of the discovery of well preserved 

 Cretaceous fossils in northern Mississippi was made by Con- 

 rad, Safford collected a few Ripley fossils from near Purdy, 

 Tennessee and Tuomey made a large collection of unusually 

 well preserved shells at Eufaula, Alabama, from the same 



6 



