THE FAUNA OF THE CLIFFWOOD (N. J.) CLAYS 1 



STUART WELLER 

 The University of Chicago 



Several papers have recently appeared in which the beds at Cliff- 

 wood Point on the south shore of Raritan Bay, New Jersey, have 

 been discussed, and some difference of opinion as to their correlation 

 has been expressed. 2 For the most part the discussion has been 

 based upon the evidence as shown by the fossil flora, although men- 

 tion of marine invertebrate fossils has been made in several of the 

 papers. During the past two field seasons extensive collections of 

 these invertebrates have been made by the writer from the locality 

 in question, as well as from the clay pits in the neighboring region 

 which have been opened in the same beds. At Cliffwood Point 

 the fossils were collected from smooth, concretionary nodules, which 

 occur in great numbers along the beach at low tide. Although 

 most of the fossils were collected from nodules not in s tu a few 

 similar nodules carrying the same fossils have been found imbed- 

 ded in the clay, and no doubt can be entertained as to the original 

 source of all the nodules being from the clay at the locality in ques- 

 tion, from a horizon near or somewhat below high-water level. Their 

 occurrence in essentially the same beds, or even in beds a little lower 



1 Published by permission of the state geologist of New Jersey. 



2 Arthur Hollick, "The Cretaceous Clay Marl Exposure at Cliffwood, N. J.," 

 Transactions of the New York Academy of Sciences, Vol. XVI, pp. 124-36; Edward W. 

 Berry, " The Flora of the Matawan Formation (Crosswick's Clays), Bulletin of the New 

 York Botanical Garden, Vol. Ill, No. 9, 45-103; Edward W. Berry, "New Species 

 of Plants from the Matawan Formation," American Naturalist, Vol. XXXVII, pp. 

 677-84; G. N. Knapp, "The Cliffwood Clays and the Matawan," American Geolo- 

 gist, Vol. XXXIII, pp. 23-27; Edward W. Berry, "The Cretaceous Exposure near 

 Cliffwood, N. J.," ibid., Vol. XXXIV, pp. 253-60; W. B. Clark, "The Matawan 

 Formation of Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey, and its Relations to Overlying 

 and Underlying Formations, American Journal of Science, 4th Ser., Vol. XVIII, pp. 

 435-40; Edward W. Berry, "Additions to the Flora of the Matawan Formation," 

 Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, Vol. XXXI, pp. 67-82; Edward W. Berry, 

 "Additions to the Fossil Flora from Cliffwood, New Jersey," ibid., Vol. XXXII f 

 pp. 43-48- 



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