In the Report on the Geology of Trinidad the Government geologists described a series of sandstones and shales extending across the island from east to west, and occupying an extent of about 97 square miles. The distribution of the formation, which has been named the “Older Parian,” is in the manner of an irregular band of from 1 to 4 miles in breadth, traversing the island in an easterly direction from the Gulf of Paria at Pointe à Pierre. This band terminates rather abruptly before reaching the east coast, but the formation 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 indeterminable. They however obtained fossils from the same formation at Cumana, in Venezuela; and these remains led to the belief that the Older Parian was probably of Neocomian age. During a short visit to Pointe à 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 à Pierre is taken on the south side of the point, which I have not had an opportunity of examining carefully. The geologists do not seem to be able to give much attention to that 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.