branner: the stone reefs of brazil. 15 



difficulty seemed to be encountered in dealing with them as such. From 

 1870, when Hartt's book was published, down to the present time, these 

 unfossiliferous party-colored beds have been called Tertiary. 



In 1875 Richard Rathbun published a paper upon the lamellibranchs 

 found in the vicinity of Pernambuco.^ The materials were from three 

 localities in the vicinity of Maria Fariniia, eighteen miles north of Per- 

 nambuco. Although the title of Mr. Rathbun's paper shows that the 

 beds were regarded as Cretaceous, all the species in his list are new 

 except two ; and among those described are Cuculhea liarttii and Veneri- 

 cardia (Cardita) morganiana, which, if found in North America, would 

 be regarded as Tertiary. 



In Dr. White's monograph published in 1887 are described more fully 

 the molluscan collections from Maria Farinha in the State of Pernam- 

 buco, and from Pirabas,^ State of Para. The localities yielding these 

 fossils are likewise set down by White as Cretaceous in spite of the 

 fact that they contain such characteristic Tertiary forms as 



Hercoglossa (Nautilus) sowerbyana d'Orb. 

 Volutilithes radida (Sowerby) Forbes. 

 Mazzalina (Fasciolaria) acutisjnra White. 

 Pseudoliva (Harpa) dechordata White. 

 Cucullcea Imrttii Rathbun. 

 Calyptraphorus ? chelonites White. 

 Venericardia (Cardita) morganiana Rathbun. 



It cannot be denied, however, that some of the fossils from Maria 

 Farinha are of decided Cretaceous aspect. 



When Dr. White undertook the study of the Brazilian Cretaceous 

 (and Tertiary) fossils collected by the Commissao Geologica it was ex- 

 pected that he would remove any doubts that might exist in regard to 

 the ages of the formations represented. But instead of weighing the 

 evidence and reaching an independent conclusion, he accepted without 

 question the earlier inference of Hartt. I would not imply that Dr. 

 White failed to do his duty in this matter. The fact is that the collect- 

 ing was not done so that he could have made a separation of the faunas 

 if it had been otherwise possible. I say this the more frankly because 

 most of the fossils described by him were collected by me. But at that 



1 Richard Rathbun. The Cretaceous Lamellibranchs collected in the vicinity 

 of Pernambuco, etc. Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., XVIL, p. 241-256. Boston, 1875. 



2 In Dr. White's Contributions this place is called Piabas, but a later paper by 

 Drs. Huber and Kraats, who visited the locaUty in 1898 (?) shows that the correct 

 name is probably Pirabas. 



