86 THE LIAS AMMONITES. 



« 

 Hartmanni, S. oxyptera, and Bliynchonella furcillata. Other species are found which 



pass up into higher beds, such as Terehratula cornuta, T. Waterhousei, T, subnumismalis, 



Spiriferina rostrata, Bliynchonella teiraedra, and Waldheimia numismalis rarely. 



In the Department of the Cher the late Professor Alcide d'Orbigny^ well defined the 

 presence of this zone in giving the localities of Am. Boblayei = Ibex, Aeg. Mavyenesti, 

 and Aey. Valdani. These Cephalopods, so characteristic of the stage, were collected from 

 the Middle Lias at Coutards, and in the valley of Saint-Pierre, near Saint- Amand, 

 Cher; by MM. Boblaye, Valdan, Maugenest, and d'Orbigny, in beds a little above those 

 descending order, with Grypltoia arcuata. 



In the Department of Cote-d'Or the lower portion of the Middle Lias is divided by 

 M. Collenot ^ into four zones, each designated by a characteristic Ammonite, in descending 

 order as follow : 



1. Zone of Aegoceras Henleyi, Sow. 



2. Zone of — Davcei, d'Orb. 



3. Zone of — Venarense, Opp. 



4. Zone of — Valdani, d' Orb. 



The "zone of Am. Valdani" is locally known as " Calcaire a ciment de Venarey," where 

 it is extensively worked for hydraulic lime, and from whence many fossils are obtained. 

 It was at Venarey, near Semur, Cote-d'Or, and in the environs of Avallon and Yonne, 

 that M. d'Orbigny obtained the type specimens of Aey. Valdani. I found several other 

 species of Cephalopods in the Museum at Semur, which had been obtained from the 

 Calcaire a ciment, but they were found in higher beds than those which had yielded 

 Aey. Valdani, Aey. brevispina, Aey. Venarense, Phyll. Loscombi, Amaltheus Boblayei, 

 and Amal. Alisiensis, all of which appear, from the character of their matrix, to have 

 been derived from the Valdani-zonQ. The leading Ammonite of this zone, Aeyoceras 

 Henleyi, has been mistaken by d'Orbigny iox Aey. planicosta. Sow., from the Obttisus- 

 beds of the Lower Lias, and figured as such in the ' Paleontologie Frangaise,' pi. 65. 

 The localities therein given for this Ammonite are important, and prove that this stage 

 of the Middle Lias exists in many other Departments, as Calvados, Meurthe, Moselle, 

 Cher, Ain, Ardennes, Meuse. M. Dumortier,^ who has corrected the former error as to 

 the identity of A. Capricornus, Schloth., says, " L' Ammonites Capricornus est avec 

 VAmm. Davcei I'espece la plus caracteristique et la plus repandue dans les couches 

 inferieures de la zone a Bel. clavatus ; on la rencontre partout ou ces couches sont 

 abordables." Saint-Eortunat, Rhone, is one of his type localities for this and its other 

 Ammonite associates. 



1 ' Paleontologie rran9aise, Terrains Jurassiques,' torn, i, p. 253, 255, 257, 1842. 

 " ' Description Gdologique de 1' Auxois,' p. 260, 1873. 

 '^ ' Etudes Paleontologiques,' torn. 3, p. 82, 1869. 



