RECENT MOLLUSCS OF THE GULF OF MEXICO AND 

 PLEISTOCENE AND PLIOCENE SPECIES FROM 

 THE GULF STATES 



BY 



Carlotta Joaouina Maury 

 Introduction 



While acting as paleontologist on the Louisiana State Geo- 

 logical Survey, some years ago, a great number of deep well fos- 

 sils were placed in my hands for identification by the Director of 

 the Survey, Professor G. D. Harris. 



Many of the well fossils had been collected in the Jennings 

 oil field which was then being actively exploited, and an interest- 

 ing series was presented to the Survey by Mr. Knapp from his 

 experimental wells in Terrebonne Parish. Mr. Krackie of New 

 Orleans also presented a collection from the Gymnasium Club 

 well in that city. Specimens from Alabama wells were loaned by 

 Mr. Aldrich. 



Professor Harris made extensive collections of recent shells . 

 at points along the coast from Cedar Keys, Florida, to Galveston, 

 Texas, and he and Mr. Whitney collected a large number of 

 Pleistocene shells at Grand Chenier, Louisiana, and at the New 

 Orleans pumping station. These recent and Pleistocene shells 

 were also identified by the writer and used for comparative study 

 with the well fossils. 



It is rather singular that while the molluscan faunas of our 

 Atlantic and Pacific coasts have been extensively studied, the 

 Gulf Coast fauna has been comparatively neglected. For this 

 reason it seems as though an annotated catalogue, embracing the 

 results of our work, and that of Dr. Dall, Messrs. Hilgard, Sing- 

 ey, Aldrich, Mitchell, Vanatta and others, might be of value. 



