G. A. White — Puget Group of Washington Territory. 443 



Aet. XLIY. — On the Puget Group of Washington Terri- 

 tory ; by Chaeees A. White. 



[Published by permission of the Director of the U. S. Geological Survey.] 



About two years ago, Prof. J. S. Newberry placed in niy 

 hands for study a small collection of fossil raollusca which he 

 had obtained from the coal-bearing formation in Puget Sound 

 basin in Washington Territory. This collection represents a 

 hitherto unpublished brackish- water fauna, which characterizes 

 a formation that possesses unusual interest. All the discovered 

 species of this fauna will be described and illustrated in Bulle- 

 tin 50 of the U. S. Geological Survey, where also the formation 

 will be discussed. Twelve species have been recognized, of 



which the following is a list : Cardium (Adaena f) 1 , Cy- 



renabrevidens, n. s.,Gorbicula Willisi, n. s., G. Pugetensis, n. s., 

 Batissa Newberryi, n. s., B. dtibia, n. s., Psammobia ob- 

 scura, n. s , Sanguinolaria f caudata, n. s., Teredo Pugetensis, 



n. s., JSferitina f , Gerithium ? and an undetermined 



gasteropod. 



The formation from which these fossils were obtained is 

 known to occupy a large part of Puget Sound basin, and to 

 extend upon the western flank of the Cascade range, which 

 forms the eastern side of the basin ; but all the boundaries of 

 the area which it occupies are not at present known. Besides 

 these strata which lie to the west of the Cascade range, other 

 similar deposits are found upon its eastern flank, as well as at 

 certain localities among its higher mountains. All these de- 

 posits are believed to belong to one and the same formation, 

 although those within, and east of, the Cascade range have not 

 yet furnished any molluscan fossils similar to those found upon 

 the western side of the range. Certain unique features of the 

 fauna referred to show that the strata in which the remains 

 were found were deposited in a body of water which was 

 quite separate from that in which was deposited any one of 

 the coal-bearing formations in the Pacific Coast region or else- 

 where. Its zoological character indicates that the body of 

 water in question was an estuary ; and the extent of the district 

 within which the deposits have been found shows that that 

 estuary was a very large one. 



The most complete information that has yet been published 

 concerning this formation appeared in volume xvof the reports 

 of the Tenth U. S. Census, pp. 759-771, plates lxxxii-cii. 

 That publication, which is entitled u A Report on the Coal 

 Fields of Washington Territory," is by Mr. Bailey Willis, who 

 accomplished the work ripon which his report is based under 



