No. 459-] AMBER t.\ EASTERN UN/TED STATES. 139 



and fragments of lignite and charred wood. Pyrite, in nodules, 



is also a prominent constituent. This bed, where exposed in 

 vertical section, appears as if lens-shaped, having an indicated 

 maximum thickness of about 3 feet and a lateral extent of 18 

 feet or more. The face of the pit at this place is about 20 feet 

 high and the lower part of the bed is about 1 foot from the 

 present floor of the pit. The section in which the bed is 

 exposed is shown in Plate 2. It is immediately adjacent to the 

 left of the section shown in Plate 1 . 



Most of the amber was found in a relatively thick accumula- 

 tion of finely comminuted lignite and charred wood, of limited 

 extent, through which it was irregularly distributed. This 

 matrix yielded nearly all of the larger specimens and a majority of 

 the smaller ones. The remainder were obtained from the rela- 

 tively thinner layers of leaves and twigs. A piece of the lignitic 

 matrix, with fragments of amber enclosed, is shown on Plate 3, 



Fig- 34- 



Characters of the Amber. — A large part of the amber is in 



the form of drops or "tears," examples of which- may be seen 

 on Plate 3, Figs. 1-23, but irregularly shaped fragments, varying 

 in size from a large pin's head to a hickory nut, are the most 

 abundant. They are generally more or less transparent and 

 yellow or reddish in color, but many are opaque and grayish 

 white. Some of the best examples of the former are shown on 

 Plate 3, Figs. 24-32, and a large piece of the latter on Plate 3, 

 Fig- 33- The finest specimen in size, color, and transparency, 

 represented by Fig. 32, is about 6 cu. cm. in volume. All of 

 the figures on Plate 3 are of natural size. 



Disposition of the Specimens. — Most of the specimens col- 

 lected are deposited in the museum of the New York Botanical 

 Garden and the remainder in that of the Natural Science Asso- 

 ciation of Staten Island. The only other specimens from this 

 vicinity which I have been able to locate are included in the 

 collections at Columbia University. These are three in number 

 and are labeled respectively, "Marl pits, Squankum, N.J.," 

 "Kirby's marl pit, Harrisonville, \. J.," and "Valentine's clay 

 pit, Woodbridge, N. J." The last mentioned is of good quality 

 and is about the size of a filbert nut. 



