CONTRIBUTION TO THE PALEONTOLOGY OF TRINIDAD. 93 



"From the Eocene of Piscataway, Maryland." 



Remarks.— Dr. C. A. White in 1887 71 described and figured a Turritella from 

 the Rio Maria Farinha beds, State of Pernambuco, Brazil, which he identified as 

 Turritella elicita Stoliczka, originally described from the Cretaceous rocks of 



southern India. 72 



Dr. White says: "The Brazilian examples differ from the Indian only in a 

 little greater distinction of the revolving lines which mark the surface; but t his mav 

 be due to a difference attending the fossilization of the shells; and if not, it is not 

 deemed of specific importance." The Maria Farinha specimens w< re all frag- 

 mentary, but the full length of an adult example was estimated by Dr. White 

 as not far from 150 mm. with a diameter of the last volution of 27 mm. Now 

 the Brazilian shell differs from that from Soldado in the presence in the former 

 of slender revolving raised lines, and in the greater prominence of the rounded 

 ridge at the distal border of each volution near the suture. These characterise cs, 

 especially as indicated in Dr. White's fig. 7, 73 ally the shell more closely with 

 typical T. humerosa Conrad than with the Soldado variety or with the Indian 

 Turritella elicita Stol. Indeed Dr. White's figures are so exactly like typical 

 specimens in the Cornell University Museum of T. humerosa from Nanafalia, 



Alabama, that there can be no question of the identity of the Brazilian and Ala- 

 bama forms. 



This species ranks secondary to T. mortoni as a typical lower Eocene shell. 



Professor Harris has found that although this species is most typically repre- 

 sented in the Lignitic of Alabama, Virginia and Maryland, it occurs very abun- 

 dantly in nearly all horizons of the Midway, and displays a remarkable variety of 

 forms. It is common in Alabama, Texas and Arkansas. 



The true identity of the Maria Farinha Turritella is thus not with the Cre- 

 taceous species of India, T. elicita Stoliczka from the Arrialoor group; but with 

 Conrad's T. humerosa from the North American Lower Eocene. The 

 was found by Dr. Branner in Ponto das Pedras, State of Pernambuco, Brazil 

 where the fauna is of the same age as that of Maria Farinha. 



species 



Turritella humerosa 



Cf. Turritella el 



Plate XII, Figure 22. 



Remarks and description.— Several fragments of a Turritella resembling T. 

 humerosa, were obtained from Soldado Rock, Bed No. 2. These show none or 

 only the very faintest traces of the "fine revolving striae" characteristic of the 

 typical specimens. In this respect they are like a large variety of this species 

 from Prairie Creek (No. 204 U. S. Nat. Mus.), figured in Professor Harris' 

 Midway stage; 74 but the whorls of that shell are much shorter proportionally 

 than those of the Soldado form. The latter also resembles a rather smooth speci- 

 men (not typical) from Nanafalia. Ala. 



71 



72 



Arch, do Museu Nac. do Rio de Janeiro, pp. 162-163, pi. XVIII 

 Pal. Indica, vol. II, p. 221, pL XVI, fig. 3, 1868. 



M 



73 hoc. cit. 

 "Bull 



