OF SOUTHERN INDIA. 179 
10 6. One of the oldest forms of Nerinee is the N. prisea, Tornes (Denksch. 
Akad. Wien 1856, XII, part IT, p. 27, Pl. I, Fig. 4) from the Alpine Trias of Lower- 
Styria. It must, however, be remarked that the columella and the disposition of 
the folds differs remarkably from the typical Merinee, as above characterized 
Tt has also no plait on the outer lip, and if the columella was straight, there may 
have been on the aperture itself only some emargination (if any) like a notch, 
notch similar to what is to be found in Bwillia and other Buccinrp%. In such 
a case Irather believe it more correct that the species ought to be generically 
separated. 
I do not know whether any of the six species of Werinee, described by Stoppani 
from the upper Trias (vide Pal. Lomb. ser. I, Pétrifications d’Esino, 1858-60, 
p. 35-37) belong at all to this group of shells. None of them has columellar folds 
like other Nerinee, and some of the species look much more like Chemnitzia, 
Holopelia, etc. There are scarcely any species of Nerinee known from the Lias, 
but typical forms occur already in the lowest beds of the Dogger; they are most 
abundant in the Malm or Upper Jura, and decrease gradually in the cretaceous 
period. Pictet and Campiche (Mat. p. 1. Pal. Suisse, ser. III) enumerate nearly 80 
species of Nerinee from the cretaceous beds. The North of Europe and America 
are remarkably poorly represented, and by far the largest number is known from 
the Alps and the Mediterranean circle. It would appear, that they were all chiefly 
inhabitants of southern regions, equally as the living Prrauzmzrimsz are. We 
shall notice three species, all belonging to the Ootatoor group of the Trichinopoly 
eretaceous deposits. Mer. incavata, Bronn, is identical with the European species ; 
Ner. Blanfordiana is new, and a third species remains uncertain for the present as 
to its characters. 
Of tertiary species two have, I think, been noticed, the Ner. supracretacea, 
Bellardi, (Mem. Soc. Géol. France, ser. II, vol. IV, p. 209, Pl, XII, Fig. 6) from 
the nummulitic beds near Nice, and the Ner. serapidis, Bellardi (Bull. Soc. Géol. 
France. ser. IT, vol. VIII, p. 261) from nummulitic beds of Egypt. Of the latter 
T have not been able to procure more than the mere name, but the first has, judging 
from the figured section, all the appearance of a true Nerinea. It is evident that 
the specimens had all the shell surface worn off, and that consequently the plication 
on the outer lip is not marked. It would not be very surprising if the specimen had 
got into the nummulitic beds from some adjacent cretaceous strata, 
11. Oriptoplocus. Pictet, et Campiche (Mater. p.1. Pal, Suisse, 3me. ser. p. 257). 
Cryp. testa comca sew pyramidah, anfractibus numerosis composita, late umbili- 
cata; apertura quadrangulari, antice sub-effusa, postice uniplicata; labro edentulo. 
The larger number of species belonging to this genus are smooth, except the 
Cryptoplocus moniliferus, D’Orb., sp., which as regards ornamentation certainly 
very closely resembles the Nerinee. None of the species are known to have a sutural 
band, but so far as the shell has been observed in good preservation, it exhibits 
similarly curved strize of growth, as invariably occur in Nerinee. The aperture is 
