150 Farther observations on the Pondieherry Fossih. [No. 30. 



b$r and variety of Marine shells, of which despite the hard- 

 ness of the matrix, 1 have made a large collection. I have nei- 

 ther leisure nor ability to describe these fossils as they de- 

 serve : but I have forwarded to England a very complete 

 series and have placed with Dr. Cole for the Madras Museum 

 another set, which may be examined by those who are curious 

 in these things. 



In the number of the Madras Journal already alluded to, 

 I noticed a bed of fossiliferous limestone existing at Ootatoor 

 in the Trichinopoly district. I have never been able to visit 

 this spot — but have had opportunities of examining several 

 cart loads of the stone. It is a dark and fine-grained lime- 

 stone, containing bivalve and univalve shells in great abun- 

 dance, and in a wonderful state of preservation. In all the 

 specimens the shell itself remains, and in many instances re- 

 tains, not only its pearly lustre, but even a portion of its 

 original colour. Many of these shells are probably unde- 

 scribed. The univalves appear chiefly to be of the genus 

 Rostelleria, but without an opportunity of comparing them 

 with other specimens it Is impossible to state this with cer- 

 tainty. Among the bivalves however I must particularly 

 notice one so exactly resembling the Cardium Strialulum 

 described in Sowerby's Vol. VI. Page 101 that we may per- 

 haps be justified in considering it identical. The Cardium 

 Striatulum is said to be found in the limestone immediately 

 above the Coal at Brora, but as this would argue a very high 

 antiquity for the deposit in the Trichinopoly district, we must 

 not be too hasty in coming to a conclusion on the subject. I 

 have alluded so particularly to this shell because as will be 

 presently seen, this is not the only situation in which I have 

 found it. 



Although I have examined a large quantity of the limestone 

 from Trichinopoly I have met with only one instance of the 

 extinct families of chambered shells peculiar to the secondary 



