126 BULLETIN : MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. 



Port Maria. Duncan and Wall have also reported one species of Eocene 

 coral from the black shale of the Blue Mountain Series from the valley 

 of the Yallahs River on the south side of the island, east of Kingston.^ 

 Etheridge ^ also mentions a Melania and a Turritella from these beds. 

 A small Modiola has also been found in the formation at Arthur's Seat. 

 When the impure turbulent conditions of the sediments are considered, 

 which are very similar to those of the Lignitic group of our Southern 

 States Eocene, this scarcity of fossil remains is not surprising. Plant 

 remains occur nearly everywhere in the laminae of the clays. 



In all, the following species have been reported from the Richmond 

 beds : — 



Paracyathus crassus, Ed. & H. ; ^ Stylophora contorta, Leym. ; * 

 Stylocoenia emarciata. Lam. (Duncan)/ = St. duerdeni, Vaughan ; 

 Columnastra3a eyeri, Dune.;* Modiola, sp. ; ^ Melania;* Turritella;* 

 Scalaria ; * Rudistes ; * ® Caprinella ; * ^ Actseonella ; * ^ Xatica phasia- 

 nelloides. 



The supposedly Eocene corals of Duncan, with one exception, were 

 found in the gravel and shale beds of the Richmond formation at Port 

 Maria. They are depauperate forms, which apparently gained foothold 

 with difficulty in the disturbed and muddy waters of the Richmond 

 epoch. Concerning these Duncan and Wall'^ wrote as follows : — 



" The specimens from Port Maria are either dark and carbonaceous- 

 looking, or are encrusted on a fine dark purple conglomerate ; all are 

 very significant of the horizon, and recall the puny development of the 

 species of the London Clay. The Paracyathus from Yallahs Valley re- 

 sembles that of the London Clay, being even stained black, like the 

 Sheppy specimens ; the Stylocoenia emarciata is a well known form in 

 British, French, Italian, and Sindian early Tertiary collections, and the 

 Stylophora contorta also. The Stylocoenia and Stylophora are character- 

 istic corals, and denote an Eocene horizon ; and they indicate, when 

 unaccompanied by other species, the existence of ph3"sical conditions not 

 favorable for coral growth." 



Yaughau has described Duncan's Stylocoenia emarciata as Stylocoenia 



^ Paracyatluis, sp. Quart. Jour. Geol. Soc, Yol. XXII. p. 8. 



- .laniaicim Kt-ports, p. 311. ^ Upper Valley of Yallahs River. 



* Toint llaldaiie, Tort Maria. ^ Arthur's Seat, Clareiulon. 



^ Reported by Etheridge (Jamaican Reports, p. 311), who surmised that they 

 were derived from " Ilippurite limestone below." No " Ilippurite " limestone is 

 known to occur below the beds at Fort Maria, or witliin any reasonable distance. 



7 Quart. Jour. Geol. Soc. London, 1864, Vol. j:XI. p. 13. 



