Record of Geology of Texas, 188'7-1896. 
159 
224. Hill, Robert T. 
A Classification of the Topographic Features of Texas, with Re- 
marks upon the Areal Distrihiition of the Geologic Formations. 
(Abstract.) 
Proc. Amer. Assoc. Adv. of Science, Yol. XXXYIII, pp. 243- 
244. 1890. 
“The Texas region is cle&crihed and its topographic features defined as a 
series nf ancient base levels, striking approximately north and south, and 
limited by two orographic systems, the more ancient and northern one 
being the Ouachita system of Branner, in 'Arkansas and Indian Territory, 
and the southern the mountains of northern 'Mexico and the Trans^Pecos 
region of Texas. Certain conspicuous valleys of erosion are explained, and 
the progress of denudation described. The relation of this topographic 
classification to the cultural possibilities of the region, and to the distri- 
bution of the floras and faunas is also shown.” 
225. 
Occurrence of Goiiiolina in the Comanche Series of the Texas 
Cretaceous. 
Amer. Jour, of Science, III, Vol. XL, pp. 64-65. Xew Haven, 
July, 1890. 
“For several years I have been puzzled by a peculiar organism which 
occurs abundantly in the basal and medial beds of the Comanche series of 
the Texas Cretaceous. This organism is preserved in chalky beds, of ^wliose 
lithologie chan’acter it partakes, and is about the size and sliape of ordi- 
nary*playing marbles used by boys, except that it is slightly elongated, and 
flattened at one end, where there is a circular depression resembling the 
point of attachment between a fruit and its stem. Tlve surface is minutely 
pitted and Teticulated.” 
When submitted to eminent paleontologists, it was pronounced an unde- 
termined species of the genus Goniolina, D'Orbigny, but whether animal 
or vegetable was a matter of doubt. One wrote: 
“The fosisil you send belongs to a group which has puzzled paleontolo- 
gists for many years, and has been referred to almost every obscure group 
of paleozoology and botanji". They were named Goniolina by D’Orbigny, 
who put them among the Foraminifera. Di-. White has shown me a 
French publication by Dumortier in which a Jurassic species is referred 
to the (frinoidca; Zittel says that 'Saporta has decided tlrat they are the 
fruit of Panclanus, or ‘screw-pine.’ My O'wn opinion is that they are fruit 
of some kind, and .Saporta’s reference is the most likely to be correct. 
Youi's should be Lower Ciretaceous.” 
As it begins in the Colorado river section in the lowest fossiliferous 
horizon in the Fredericksburg and ranges through 450 feet to the base 
of the Comanohe Peak chalk; as the beds are all deep-sea deposits; as 
there are no lignites oir other traces of land debris; and as the associated 
mollusean forms are all of otl-shore species, the eonclusion is reached that 
this cannot be the fruit of land vegetation. 
