INTRODUCTION. 7 



therefore a comparison of both faunas is inadmissible. There is, however, a strong 

 indication of the existence of the uppermost cretaceous beds in Russian Turkistdn 

 as shown by the discovery by Mr. Ootteau of Coraster vilanovce} I must therefore 

 leave it to be determined how far the similarity extends between the Coraster 

 vilanovse beds of Turkistan and the Hemipneustes beds of Baluchistan, and content 

 myself for the present with having drawn attention to this fact. 



The upper cretaceous beds of Asia Minor share only a few species with the 

 Hemipneustes beds. The fauna of the upper cretaceous beds of the south-western 

 corner of France bears a strong resemblance to that of the Hemipneustes beds of 

 Baluchistdn. Except such ubiquitous forms as Vola quadricostata , etc., the follow- 

 ing species are common both to the Maestrichtien of south-western France and the 

 Hemipneustes beds of Baluchistan : 



Orhitolites macropora, Def. 

 Orbitoides socialis,. Ley. 

 Cyclolites regularis, Ley. 

 Pyrina ataxensis, Cott. 

 ffemipneustes pt/renaieui, Heb. 

 Hemipneustes leymeriei, Heb. 

 Exogyra pyrenaica, Ley. 

 Trochus lartetianus, Ley. 

 Nerita pontica, d'Arch. 



and probably also 



Nautilus suhlcevigatus, d'A'ch, 



It is certainly highly remarkable, that even if we exclude the first and last two 

 species, as occurring elsewhere in similar strata, there are certainly six species which 

 have hitherto only been observed in the upper cretaceous beds of southern France 

 and the Hemipneustes beds of Baluchistan. This seems to point to similar physical 

 conditions under which the upper cretaceous beds were deposited in south-western 

 France and Baluchistan. Another most remarkable fact is that the Hemipneustes 

 beds do not share a single specimen with the upper cretaceous beds of Palestine and 

 North Africa. It may be doubtful whether strata of the age of the Hemipneustes 

 beds are developed in Palestine, but they certainly occur in North Africa. 



These considerations lead us to the conclusion that the Hemipneustes beds are 

 of upper Senonian age and most probably represent the i^tage Maestrichtien. The 

 fauna therein contained bears hardly any resemblance to the fauna of similar 

 age in Southern India or Northern Africa. On the other hand it exhibits the 

 closest relationship to the fauna contained in beds of similar age of south-western 

 France. The fauija of the Hemipneustes beds must therefore be considered as 

 belonging to the European province of the upper cretaceous sea, living probably 

 in close proximity to its eastern shores. This sea was most probably divided by a 

 comparatively narrow lafid barrier from the sea in which the upper cretaceous 

 fauna of Southern India lived, a view first expressed by Dr. Blanford and not, as 

 J erroneously stated ^ by the late Professor Neumayr. 



^ Bulletin de la Soc. Geol. de France, ser. iii, XVII, 155. 

 2 Kecprds, Geological Survey of India, 1894, XSVII, l?9. 



