378 ORVILLE A. DERBY 



abundant to constitute a conglomerate. The rock is frequently- 

 argillaceous, and thin layers of marly shale appear in which at two 

 points (Atalho and Angico, about 6 kilometers apart) I found fossil 

 woods, cyprids, and bones, teeth, and scales of fishes and reptiles 

 (8, 9, lo). The small collection made here was unfortunately lost, 

 but on the occasion of making it I had the strong impression of a. 

 close relationship with the fresh- water Cretaceous fauna of the neigh- 

 borhood of Bahia, based on the general aspect of the fossils, and 

 especially on scales that I identified as Lepidotus. In this connec- 

 tion it is to be noted that the famous fossil fishes (including a Lepi- 

 dotus) of the vicinity of Jardim, in the state of Ceara, occur at a dis- 

 tance of about 200 kilometers to the northeast, in front of the base 

 of a sandstone table-land which may readily be presumed to be con- 

 nected with that of the margins of the Sao Francisco. The sand- 

 stone beds appear at first sight to lie horizontally, but at a number 

 of points moderate northerly dips (seldom more than io°) were 

 observed, but no distinct evidence of folding could be detected. 



The railroad from Bahia to Joazeiro on the river Sao Francisco 

 affords an undoubted section across the Serra do Espinhafo belt 

 which is crossed near the town of Bom Fim (formerly Villa Nova 

 da Rainha). The road, starting from sea-level at Bahia, runs 

 for 122 kilometers in a general northerly direction to Alagoinhas 

 (alt. 137"^) through a country composed of soft Cretaceous and Ter- 

 tiary strata that have been quite fully described by Hartt, Rathbun, 

 and myself (6, 7). From this point the narrow-gauge prolongation 

 runs in a general northeasterly direction for 452 kilometers, crossing 

 the Serra do Espinhago belt between kilometers 320 and 370, with 

 a summit level of 683"^, and ending at Joazeii^o at an elevation of 

 372"^, the terminal station being only slightly above the high- water 

 level of the Sao Francisco at this point. In a trip over this line the 

 following car-window observations could be made. 



From Alagoinhas the road ascends for 60 kilometers over hori- 

 zontal beds of soft sandstone to an elevation of 406"^. Up to the 

 200"^ level the beds are quite argillaceous and gritty, and a water- 

 bearing horizon occurs here which probably marks a break in the 

 stratification, since the beds above this level are more sandy and 

 porous, generally deeply stained by oxide of iron, and in general of 



