The Loess of Natche::, Miss. — Shiiiiek. 289 
collected from twenty-six exposures at Natchez, and from a 
cut along the Vicksburg and Meridian R. R. at Vicksburg, and 
the several locality sets were kept separate. The accompany- 
ing table of species gives the number of fossils of each speciey 
collected from each exposure/'' thus giving a comprehensive 
view of the distribution and relative abundance of the several 
species. In making comparisons, however, it must be borne in 
mind that the several exposures are not of equal extent, nor 
are they even relatively equally fossiliferous. Eight of the 
larger exposures f proved to be non-fossiliferous. Exposures 
I, 2, 3 and 4 are really in the same large cut, and exposures 
5 and 6 are likewise opposite sides of one cut, while on the 
other hand No. 11 is a more or less broken series of exposures 
around the great "gulf" shown on the map just south of 
Natchez. It is especially fossiliferous on the south and east 
sides of the "gulf." 
Numbers i, 2, 3. 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 17 are the most extensive 
of the fossiliferous exposures, and relatively the richest. The_> 
are all located in the southwestern part of the area under 
discussion. 
Exposures 19 to 26 inclusive, along the Liberty road, are 
mostly smaller cuts and "guts" along a wagon road, and are 
not to be compared with the large exposures mentioned. 
The number of modern shells of each species found at Nat- 
chez is given in the last two columns of the table. In order 
that some conception of the peculiarity of local distribution of 
modern shells may be gained, the collections made on the bluffs 
toward the north are listed separately from those which were 
taken on the hills southwest of Natchez. The grouping of the 
fossils of the species in the loess is singularly like that of 
modern shells on the surface. 
The modern shells were all collected on higher slopes. No 
collections were made on the Mississippi l:)ottom lands. 
Polygyra claiisa should be added to the list of Natchez fos- 
sils on the authority of Binney. 
It will be noticed that all the species of the accompanying 
table are terrestrial, and all are now found living either on the 
♦The Natchez fxposures are numbered, the number at, the top of 
each cohimn corresponding to the number on the map. No fossils were 
found in the expcsures not inchided in the table. 
tCompare map and taljle of fossils. 
