24 DIENER, : TRIAS OF THE HIMALAYAS. 
Projptycfiites Scheibleri Dien. 
Prosphingites Kama Dien. 
,, 7iala Dien. 
Xenodiscics himalayanus Griesb. 
Vishnuites Pralambha Dien. 
On the top of bed 1, Pseudomonotis (Claraia) Griesbachi Bittn. is most 
common, but not restricted to this bed exclusively. 
Bed 5, which is separated from the topmost fossiliferous bed of the 
Otoceras stage by a mass of dark blue shales with limestone partings, 
18 feet in thickness, contains the Meekoceras-iauna, discovered by 
NoetUng in 1900. 
It is less rich in species than in the Spiti sections, the commonest 
types being Meekoceras Markhami Dien. and M. Varaha Dien. Besides 
these we have to enumerate : — 
Meekoceras shalsJialense Krafft. 
Aspidites spitiensis Krafft. 
and with great probability at least, Meekoceras boreale Dien., and, ac- 
cording to Noetling {Lethoea mesozoica, 1. c, p. 149), Meekoceras cj. 
radiosum Waag. and M. cf. discus Waag. 
Ophiceras tibeticum Griesb. probably also ranges from the Otoceras 
stage into the Meekoceras beds. One of Griesbach's specimens from the 
Shalshal cliff is marked bed 70 (25 feet above the layer of Otoceras 
Woodicardi). This is approximately the position of the fossiliferous 
layer of the Meekoceras beds. There is no valid reason for questioning 
the accuracy of Griesbach's statement. 
The lithological boundary between the lower and upper divisions of 
the Lower Trias in Painkhanda passes just along the top of the concre- 
tionary limestone containing the Meekoceras-fauna. The lowest bands 
of grey limestone (bed 6) are very poor in fossils, but such occur 
throughout the entire thickness of the higher beds (7), which consist of 
light grey limestones, 4 to 6 inches in thickness, and alternating very 
regularly with shales of less or equal thickness. The fauna is, however, 
less rich in species than in the corresponding beds of Spiti, in the 
( 225 ) 
