470 Notices of Memoirs — Palceontology of Patagonia. 



share in tlie evolution of the fishes of more recent periods, not even 

 if we restore the Ooccosteans or Arthrodira to their fellowship. To 

 the latter most enigmatical group, which I shall still continue to 

 look upon as fishes, I shall make some reference further on. 

 {To be continued in our ntxt Numbtr.) 



iV. — Notes on the Geology and Paleontology of Patagonia. 

 By Professor W. B. Scott, Princeton University.* 



FOE the past four years Princeton University has been conducting 

 explorations in Patagonia under the direction of Mr. J. B. 

 Hatcher. The large expenses of the undertaking have been defrayed 

 by the generosity of friends in New York and Baltimore, and Mr. J. 

 Pierpont Morgan has given the sum of £5,000 for the publication of 

 the important results which Mr. Hatcher has obtained. 

 • The oldest sedimentary formation observed is a marine Cretaceous 

 found in the Cordillera ; the Ammonites of this horizon have been 

 studied by Mr. Stanton, and he reports that they indicate Gault age 

 and show close relationship to the Uitenhage beds of South Africa. 



The oldest marine Tertiaries are given in the section near the 

 Straits of Magellan, and my assistant. Dr. Ortmann, informs me 

 that the fossils point to a late Eocene or Oligocene age for these 

 beds, which he has called the Magellanian beds. These are overlain 

 by the great Patagonian formation, which is of wide extent, of 

 marine origin, and richly fossiliferous. The 200 species of marine 

 invertebrate fossils obtained from this horizon have been studied by 

 Dr. Ortmann, and lead to some very interesting conclusions. In 

 the first place they unequivocally demonstrate the Miocene age of 

 the beds (not Cretaceous and oldest Eocene as Ameghino has main- 

 tained), and in the second place they display the closest resemblance 

 to the Miocene of Australia and New Zealand, pointing to a shore 

 connection with those countries in Miocene times. The Patagonian 

 and supra-Patagonian stages are shown not to be distinguishable. 



The Santa Cruz beds, a fresh-water and terrestrial formation, 

 overlie and partially dovetail in with the Patagonian. They contain 

 an incredibly abundant and varied mammalian fauna, of which a vast 

 collection was brought home. This fauna has only a very remote 

 connection with the Miocene mammals of the northern hemisphere, 

 and strongly confirms Eiitimeyer's contention of a southern centre 

 of distribution. The presence of numerous carnivorous marsupials 

 (there are no true Carnivora) is additional evidence of a connection, 

 direct or indirect, with Australia. Unconformably overlying the 

 Santa Cruz is another marine formation, discovered by Mr. Hatcher 

 and by him named the Cape Fairweather beds. The fossils indicate 

 the Pliocene age of these beds. 



Mr. Hatcher's labours have thus resulted in proving that Pata- 

 gonian geology is in complete accord with the system established for 

 the northern hemisphere, and that it is not of such exceptional 

 character as has been supposed. 



1 Kead before the British Association, Section C (Geology), Bradford, Sept., 1900. 



