44 
Records of the Geological Survey of India. 
[VOL. V. 
'being perhaps the most prevalent. No Braehiopoda or Cephalopoda have been noticed. 
JEchinodermata appear far from scarce; corals also occur, but in no great abundance, whilst 
Forammifera, although common, are chiefly represented by minute species, the only 
abundant form observed of frequent occurrence, which is not of very small size, being an 
OpercuHna. If any fossil character can be selected as distinctive of the formation in 
general, it is, I think, the frequent occurrence of the cirripede Balani. 
It must be borne in mind that all remarks upon the fossils of the group are founded 
on very few and scattered observations, and that any conclusions now drawn may require 
modification when the rocks are farther examined. Still I think it may be safely stated that 
the fauna differs entirely from that of the nummulitic rocks. Only a small minority of 
the fossils oh fined can be identified with the species figured in D’Archiae and Haime s 
“Animaux Fossilos du Gfroupe Nummulitique do l’lndes” and, of these, it remains to he 
seen whether all really occur iu the nummulitic series, for it has long been suspected that 
some of the species figured by the distinguished French geologists are derived from a higher 
group than the true nummulities. Tho general facies of the Makran fauna is utterly 
different from that of tho lower tertiaries; the commonest and most characteristic fossils of 
tho nummulities are Forammifera, especially Nummulites and Alvcolinee; the most 
abundant shells in the Makran group are barnacles, oysters and scallops. No junction of 
the two series has hitherto been observed, hut it may he safely asserted that the Makran 
group is newer than the nummulities, for while the fauna of the latter appears to he nearly, 
or entirely extinct, at all events iu the shallow seas near the coast, several of the Makran 
fossils appear identical with species found living, in water of moderate depth, along the shores 
of Biliichistan and the Persian Gulf.* 
It is possible that the Makran group represents tho Milliolitic deposits of Kathiawar 
and the south-east coast of Arabia. Some of the calcareous hands of the former have very 
much the appearance of “ Porbunder stone,” and seem to consist, like it, of the casts of 
minute Forammifera. 
Bersian Coast of the Gulf.\ and the neighbouring islands .—It must he borne in mind 
that, whilst I have little doubts as to the identity of the formations ou the Makran seaboard 
from near Somiani to Jashk, my suggestion that the beds seen along the north-east coast 
of the Persian Gulf belong to the same group rests chiefly upon their appearance 
from a distance, a very imperfect guide, and one upon which I only hazard an 
opinion because the rocks have a very peculiar appearance. The only places, where I 
examined the rocks, were in the islands Haiijam,t Tumb and Kbarak. At the first named, 
the beds closely resemble some of the Makran group, hut the pale clay is in com¬ 
parative^ thin beds and highly calcareous, so as to form a hard compact rock. Of fossils 
besides the characteristic oysters, pectens and barnacles, a Cidaris occurs with very 
peculiar spines, which are scattered in great numbers throughout one bed in the valley behind 
the telegraph station. The spines vary so greatly that scarcely any two are identical 
in form, all have the terminations expanded, and either flattened or cup-shaped, with 
numerous fingcv-lilce processes from the end. 
At Tumb, nearly the whole island is covered with subreeent littoral concrete. Beneath 
this clays are here and there seen, which very probably belong to the Makran group. 
* By the assistance of Captain Bishop, I have been able to collect witli the dredge a considerable number of 
the Mollusea inhabiting the sea bottom. These will doubtless aid in making out the relations of the Makran beds. 
t Henjam, Ilenkani and Angnm of various writers. 
