114 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [No. 1. 



During a brief visit to Madras in the autumn of 1856, I was 

 indebted to the kindness of Mr. Brooke CunlifFe, one of the original 

 labourers at these deposits, for a valuable collection of these fossils 

 chiefly from the Utatur locality. This collection at once proved 

 the correctness of the closing words of Professor Forbes' valuable 

 paper that " Verdachellum and Trichinopoly will doubtless yield 

 many more species than have yet been brought to Europe," for id 

 it were many beautiful and well marked forms previously undescrib- 

 ed. But it also showed conclusively, that a still further and more 

 careful research was requisite, before it could be supposed that any- 

 thing like fair data had been obtained, for arriving at trustworthy 

 conclusions as to the true character of the Fauna of this period in 

 Southern India. The relative abundance of species, and even of 

 genera seemed in many respects very different from that which the 

 original collection gave, and it appeared probable that much of this 

 difference in different localities was the result of a difference in 

 depth of the sea at the time of deposit, and not of difference in 

 time — a result not in accordance with the conclusions arrived at by 

 Professor Forbes. 



Among the small collection presented by Brooke Cunliffe, Esq. 

 not less than 93 species were distinguished. Of this large number 

 only 33 were known to Professor Forbes from the original collec- 

 tion ; leaving an addition to the Fauna known up to that time 

 from these rocks of 60 species. Without exception these 

 60 species all tended to confirm the opinion of Forbes, that 

 these rocks were of cretaceous age. A summary is given below 

 of these additions generically, reserving the details of specific 

 description until it is possible to prepare illustrations of the fossils. 

 But a group or two may be referred to, in illustration of our remarks. 

 Thus, taking the several well marked sections of the great genus 

 Ammonites, among the large addition to the known catalogue of 

 species, which Mr. Cunliffe's collection has given, we have none of 

 the Mmbriati, an oolitic and cretaceous section ; none of the 

 Flexuosi, also a lower cretaceous section ; none of the Dentati, 

 also lower cretaceous ; none of the Armati, an upper oolitic section ; 

 none of the Loevigati ; while on the other hand of the Cristati, 

 a section essentially cretaceous, we find one ; of the Clgpeiformi, 



