On the Fossils of the Texas Cretaceous, 
Especially Those Collected at 
Austin and Waco. 
JOHN K. PRATHER, B. S., 
Waco, Texas. 
(An extract from a paper entitled “The Cretaceous as the Kindergarten of Paleontol- 
ogy,” presented at the Baylor-Waco meeting, December 29, 1900.) 
The greatest development of the Cretaceous in the United States is 
found in Texas around Austin and Waco, where, owing to the softness 
of the rock and the lack of metamorphism, fossils are easily obtained. 
Here are found examples of almost all of the main divisions of the ani- 
mal kingdom. 
1. Commencing with the Protozoa, the Foraminifera are quite com- 
mon and are represented by a number of species, as are also the Radio- 
laria. 
2. The Coelenterata, too, are well represented. In some divisions 
of the Cretaceous sponges are very numerous, while in others they are 
rare. The Cnidaria are represented by such forms as : 
Pleuracora texana (Roemer), Edwards Limestone, Deep Eddy Bluff, 
Austin. 
Turbinolia texana (Conrad), Denison Beds, near El Paso. 
And many new corals from the Edwards, Shoal Creek, Fort Worth, and 
other divisions of the Cretaceous. Most of these forms have been very 
little studied. They are also represented by some new species of Lepto- 
phyllia from the Edwards Limestone recently described by Mr. T. W. 
Stanton. 
3. The Echinodermata are especially well represented both as to 
number of forms and beauty of the specimens. Some of the most com- 
mon are : 
Enallaster texanus (Roemer), Fort Worth, Edwards, and Comanche 
Peak Limestones. 
E piaster elegans (Shumard), Fort Worth Limestone. 
E piaster whitei (Clark), Fort Worth Limestone. 
Hemiaster texanus (Roemer), Austin Chalk. 
