6 EAUNA OF BALUCHISTAN. 



quite in harmony with the results deduced from the examination of the species iden- 

 tified with European forms. There is no evidence whatsoever to indicate an age 

 lower than Senonian for the Hemipneustes beds. 



Having thus ascertained the age which must be attributed to the Hemipneustes 

 beds of Baluchistan, the relations which they hold to beds of similar age at other 

 parts of the globe remain to be examined. 



The most natural locality for comparison is of course that of Ariyaliir in 

 Southern India ; the following species have been found common to Baluchistan 

 and Southern India. 



1. Fola quadricostata, Sow. 



2. Gryphaa vesicularis, Lain. 



3. Ostrea (Alectryonia) pectinata, Lam. 



4. Ostrea (Alectryonia) itngulata, Schloth. 



5. Ostrea aeutirostris. Nils. 



6. Volwtilithes latisepta, Stoliczka. 



That is to say, the two localities share not more than six species in common, out 

 of which the first five are ubiquitous forms which occur wherever upper cretaceous 

 beds are developed ; they are therefore of no consequence whatsoever. The only 

 Southern Indian species, which also occurs in Baluchistan, is Volutilithes latisepta, 

 Stol., of whose identity with Stoliczka's original I liave satisfied myself by direct 

 comparison. None of the numerous species indigenous to Southern India occur in 

 Baluchistan. It may perhaps be supposed that in Southern India beds of the 

 horizon of the Hemipneustes bed are not developed, but this view seems scarcely 

 probable, although it requires further examination. Mr. Levill^ ^ has expressed 

 himself very decidedly on this point, by separating the Niniyur beds as the top- 

 most cretaceous stage from the Ariyaliir stage. But as yet no list of fossils from the 

 Niniyur beds is known, Stoliczka's list including of course the species of both the 

 Ariyaliir and Niniyur beds, so nothing definite can be said for the present ; but we 

 may take it as established that a comparison of the fauna of the upper cretaceous 

 beds in Southern India with that of the Hemipneustes beds in Baluchistan is 

 admissible. 



This comparison shows unquestionably that there is not the slightest faunistic 

 similarity between the upper cretaceous beds of Southern India and Baluchistan. 

 In fact the difference of the composition of both faunas is as wide as it possibly 

 can be. I refrain from a comparison with the cretaceous beds in Central India, etc., 

 because their fauna has not been sufficiently studied as yet, and it appears also 

 that no strata above Cenomauian are developed in those parts. 



As regards Western India and Turkistdn, the relations between the Hemi- 

 pneustes and Cardita beaumonti beds have already been discussed. There remains, 

 therefore, only Turkistan, with which the Baluchistdn Hemipneustes beds share only 

 one species in common, vis., Badiolites subdilatata, Musch. It appears, however, 

 that strata of the same age as the Hemipneustes beds are not developed in that part 

 of Turkistan, of which the fauna has been described by Muschketoff, and that 



^ Bulletin de la Soc. G6ol. de France, sev. iii, XVIII, 146. 



