394 H. BuUen Newton — Egtjptian Gretaceous Shells. 



between the latter and the fish now under consideration. As 

 remarked hj Von Zittel ^ this species is to be placed in the genus 

 Lepidocottus of Sauvage.^ Poecilia oeningensis, Winkler, thus falls 

 in the synonymy of Lepidocottus hrevis, and is proved to -be 

 not an anomalous element in the Oeningen fauna, but a typical 

 European form. 



IV. — On some Cretaceous Shells from Egypt. 

 By K. BuLLEN Newton, F.G.S. 

 (PLATES XV AND XVI.) 



A COLLECTION of Invertebrate fossils, obtained from various 

 horizons and localities in Egypt and consisting principally of 

 molliiscan remains, has been sent home for examination and descrip- 

 tion by Captain H. G. Lyons, E.E., Director of the Geological 

 Survey of that countr3^ 



The oldest specimens represented belong to Upper Cretaceous 

 rocks, and are dealt with in the present communication. They 

 include one species of Gasteropod and eight Lamellibranchs, two 

 of the latter group being regarded as hitherto undescribed forms. 

 It need hardly be stated here that most of our knowledge respecting 

 these groups of Mollusca as represented in Egypt during this period 

 has been ably summarized by Professor Dr. von Zittel, in his elaborate 

 memoir, " Beitrage ziir Geologic nnd Palaeontologie der Libyschen 

 "Wiiste und der angrenzenden Gebiete von Aegypten," published in 

 the Palceontographica for 1883. For subsequent details we are 

 mainly indebted to the researches of Professor Mayer-Eymar and 

 Prof. Johannes Walther : to the former for his monograph, " Zur 

 Geologic Egyptens," ^ which includes a list of Cretaceous shells from 

 the neighbourhood of the Great Pyramid ; and to the latter for his 

 paper, " L'Apparition de la Craie aux Environs des Pyramides," * 

 containing a list of molluscan species from the same district and 

 horizon, though particularly localized as Abu Koasch, Golea, etc. 



A paucity of Gasteropod species is noticeable in the faunistic lists 

 of the Upper Cretaceous period of Egypt, with, however, a large 

 representation of bivalve mollusca. The most abundant forms 

 appear to belong to the genus Ostrea and its allies, a fact also 

 observable in the corresponding faunas of Algeria and Tunis. In all 

 three countries a similar conchological facies is apparent, whilst 

 some species show a marked resemblance to Syrian forms. Certain 

 difiiculties have arisen in assigning a satisfactory horizon to the 

 Egyptian species here discussed, though the evidence appears to be 



1 K. A. von Zittel, " Handbuch der Palaeontologie," vol. iii (1888), p. 310. 



^ H. E. Sauvage, " Sur le Coitus aries d'Aix-en-Provence " : Bull. Soc. Geol. 

 France, [3] vol. iii (1876), p. 637. 



^ Viert. Nat. Ges. Zurich, vol. xxxi (1886), p. 246 : Cmullma Chiemensis, Giimbel ; 

 C. Ligeriensis, Orb. ; C. tumida, Orb. ; Gardium productnm, Sowerby ; Fholadomya 

 Moyanensis, Orb. ; Ner'inea Buchi, Keferst. ; N. nobilis, ? Miinst. ; iV. pyramidarum, 

 May.-Eym. (new) ; and Acteonella voluta, Miinst. 



* Bull. Inst. Egyptieu, ser. 2, No. 8 (1888), p. 8 : Badiolites ; Ostrea acanthonota, 

 Coq. ; 0. Gostei, Coq. ; Flicatula Ferry i, Coq. ; JSerinea ; and Acteonella voluta, 

 Miinst. 



