364 G. H. Girty — Upper Permian in Western Texas. 



Horizons which are dolomitic also occur, and one of these is a 

 pisolite. The highest beds seen are exposed on the summit of 

 El Capitan, and contain Fusulina elongata Shumard in great 

 profusion. The main fossiliferous horizon, however, was found 

 about 1,000 feet below. Near this level crystalline calcite 

 occurs in great abundance and in cleavage blocks of considera- 

 ble size. The locality was difficult of access, and could only 

 be reached by hard climbing, so that the collections obtained 

 were less complete than might be wished. The above remarks 

 relate to the " white Permian," which is peculiarly massive and 

 shows little evidence of bedding. The hundred feet or more 

 of brownish or gray limestone immediately below it, however, 

 which represent Shumard's " dark Permian," are obviously 

 stratified. From the "white Permian," chiefly at the locality 

 mentioned, were obtained upward of 75 species, some of the 

 more interesting of which I will mention. The fauna is very 

 varied, and includes representatives from nearly all the inverte- 

 brate groups, though the brachiopods and pelecypods are most 

 numerous in species and individuals. 



Of the Protozoa we have Fusulina elongata Shumard, a 

 species unique so far as I am aware, which probably attains a 

 length of nearly 2 inches. 



Sponges are remarkably abundant, and belong chiefly to the 

 Calcispongm. The orders Lycones and Pharetrones are repre- 

 sented by a number of genera and species, most of which are 

 probably new. In addition the genera Mamniillopora and 

 BotJiroconis have been identified. 



Though a species of Lophojphylluni was found, coelenterates 

 are rare, except for the group of Uydrocorallinm similar to 

 those described by Waagen from India. Both in these f(3rms 

 and those representing the CalcispongicB the rock is crystalline 

 and altered in such a way that the outlines of structures are 

 partially obscured. The original difficulties attendant upon the 

 study of these groups are therefore very much enhanced. 

 Though of so widelv different zoological affinities, such is the 

 preservation in which they appear that in a number of cases I 

 am not sure that some of the sujDposed Hydrocorallince are not 

 calcareous sponges, and I even entertain similar doubts with 

 regard to certain of Waagen's representatives of that group. 



Of the echinoderms nothing appears in the collection, nor of 

 the helminths. 



The Bryozoa, except for a single group, are mostly few and 

 of a character alien to our knowu Carboniferous faunas. They 

 consist of Fenestella sp., Acanthocladia f sp., a Goniooladia 

 near G. indica Waagen, and a peculiar group of flstuliporoid 

 Bryozoa much more like Mesozoic than Paleozoic types, which 



