SWALLOW — MEEK'S NOTES ON GEOLOGY OF KANSAS. 515 



of discovery, but also by right of certain private letters and 

 that Smithsonian Record. But all these letters and the 

 record only prove that they considered the Permian fossils 

 suspicious ; they might prove to be "Jurassic or Coal Meas- 

 ures? or Permian: they " probably would."* 



If Dr. Hayden has proved any right of discovery, it is, that 

 it belongs to Messrs. Meek and Hayden jointly, and not to 

 Mr. Meek, as has been claimed for almost ten years. 



These curious results, deduced from the numerous letters 

 and papers of Messrs. Meek and Hayden, are mentioned not 

 so much for their importance, as for their wonderful lack of 

 consistency and the light they throw upon a matter made so 

 prominent by Messrs. Meek and Hayden, the guardians of 

 Western Geology. 



4th. Messrs. Meek and Hayden do not like my section of 

 the Kansas Rocks. Let us exactly understand in what we 

 agree and in what we differ. 



My section contains every stratum in Kansas, from the Cre- 

 taceous to the Lower Carboniferous, as they are developed 

 on the south side of the Kansas River. 



In this, I presume we agree. We only disagree as to the 

 division of this section into geological systems. 



Dr. Owen and other geologists classified that portion of 

 the rocks forming the lower 2,000 feet of the section, as 

 Xotcer Carboniferous. But in 1853, it became my duty to 

 examine and describe them, and show them to be Coal 

 Measures. Mr. Meek says the proof was conclusive, and Dr. 

 Hayden calls them Coal Measures. On this 2,000 feet, then, 

 we agree. 



Immediately under 'the Cretaceous Rocks there are 388 

 feet of gypsums, shales and marls, which I call Triassic (?) ; 

 which means simply, I do not know what they are, but that 

 sucli evidence as I have indicates Triassic. Messrs. Meek 

 and Hayden said, in 1857, they "may be Jurassic or Triassic, 

 or both,f but incline to the opinion that they are Jurassic; 

 but in 1867, they are inclined to think they are Triassic. j 

 We therefore, agree on this part too, as well as two parties 

 can agree where one does not agree with itself. 



The next 141 feet are called Permian in my section. 

 Messrs. Meek and Hayden say they are the equivalents of 

 "the so-called Permian Rocks of Europe." On this division 

 then, we agree. The remaining rocks between the Permian 



* If they have no better proof of claims, it seems to me, they had bet- 

 ter fall back on the Baltimore Record, which none but themselves hare 

 shown any disposition to disturb or ignore. 



t See Amer. Jour., Jan., 1859, p. 34; Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., 1859, p. 21. 

 X Amer. Jour., July, 1867, p. 40. 



