GUPPY — OLDER PARIAN FORMATION IN TRINIDAD. 205 
minates rather abruptly before reaching the east coast, but the for- 
mation reappears here and there near the south coast along a line 
parallel to the main band.* The formation is only exposed for a 
short distance on the shores of the Gulf of Paria ; but it has been 
found to cover a large area, and to be extensively developed on the 
continent of South America. The fossils found by the geologists in 
Trinidad seem to have been few, and for the most part indetermin- 
able. They however obtained fossils from the same formation at 
Ciimana, in Venezuela ; and these remains led to the belief that the 
Older Parian was probably of Neocomian age. During a short visit to 
Pointe a Pierre I obtained several fossils, which have enabled me to 
make the observations detailed in the present paper. 
The section given by the Government geologists of the Older 
Parian deposits at Pointe a Pierref is taken on the south side of the 
point, which I have not had an opportunity of exaniining carefully. 
The geologists do not seem to be able to give much attention to tliat 
portion of the deposits which is exposed on the north side of the 
point, and I hope that the present paper, in so far at least as it relates 
to the fossils, may in some measure supply the deficiency. 
The extreme point of the cliff at Pointe a Pierre is formed of a 
hard ferruginous sandstone, which is somewhat brittle and coarse in 
its structure, and contains no fossils. The dip is from 40° to 45° 
south. The beach north of the point is passable at low water, and 
consists of pieces of rocks more or less rounded, which have fallen 
from the cliffs above. Going north along this beach, we find alter- 
nations of sandstone of variable quality, with shales of a black colour 
and thin unconsolidated layers of very fine sandy matter, some of 
which are black and some nearly white. It is only, however, at the 
north end of the beach that I have been able to detect organic re- 
mains. The most conspicuous of these is a Trigonia, considered to 
be the same species as that found at Bogota, and named by D'Orbigny 
T. suhcrenulata-X Of this fossil, I have found one entire specimen 
and several disunited valves. 
Mr. Etheridge notices the entire absence of Cephalopoda in the 
collection made by the geologists when there, stating that the want 
of such fossils prevented a comparison with the strata at Bogota and 
in other parts of South America. § I have obtained a specimen of 
JBelemnites from Pointe a Pierre, so very imperfect and worn how- 
ever, that it is difficult to ascertain to wliat section of that genus of 
Cephalopoda it belongs. If, however, it belongs, as is perhaps pro- 
bable, to Brown's section Acaeli, it furnishes additional evidence of 
the correctness of Mr. Etheridge's determination of the age of the 
strata exhibited at Pointe a Pierre as Neocomian. The presence of 
the Belemnite is at once a proof of the Mesozoic age of the Older 
Parian group ; and, as Belemuites are not found above the Chalk, 
* Report on the Geology of Trinidad, p. 34. 
t Ibid., sheet no. 2, fig. 2. % Ibid., p. 163. 
§ Ibid. See also Wall, " On the Geology of Venezuela and Trinidad," Quart. Journ. 
Geol. Soc. vol. xvi. p. 460 et seq. 
