278 ON THE MOORE PARK BORINGS, 



is a shell-like coating composed of one or two pieces covering tlie 

 anterior thoracic segment. 



Below this last Estheria bed came a bed of what I consider to 

 be a volcanic mud 20 feet thick, having no traces of either the 

 Mtheria or Phjlotheca remains. The next bed perforated was a 

 shaly sandstone, containing large numbers of the Estheria in its 

 shaly partings. In one of the fractures made, an impression was 

 found, which I believe to be that of a Stigmaria. In some parts 

 of this bed there were partings of a very light stone, which 

 contained large numbers oiPhylotheca impressions. This character 

 of rock continued from 1543 to 1826 feet, or 283 feet in thickness. 

 In addition to the light stone partings above mentioned, this rock 

 had partings in its lower portion of very dense, hard, heavy, shaly 

 sandstone. As the drill went down, the character of the rock 

 gradually changed. It became very dark and fine in the grain. 

 It was while boring through this character of rock, and at this 

 depth (1826 feet), that a jet of oil came up — or what was supposed 

 to be a jet of oil — which lasted for ten minutes, accompanied with 

 a loud report, caused by the escape of gas on removing the shackle 

 from the top of the drill-rod. The probability is that a cavity in 

 the rock, fuU of compressed gas, had been penetrated, and that 

 when the shackle was unscrewed, the expansion caused the water 

 and oily contents inside the tube above the core to be forced up, 

 causing the appearance of a flow of oil, and the report which 

 followed was caused by the same gaseous expansion. 



From this point till the boring ceased at 1860 feet, the core 

 which came up, 34 feet in all, was full of Esther ice, forming at 

 times a distinct parting in the core, and the usual forms of 

 Fhjlotheea plants were also very abundant. Having reached a 

 depth of 1860 feet, owing to a flaw in one of the tubes, the boring 

 rod broke, leaving a portion in the bore. The broken tube was 

 found without much difiiculty, and the rod was made complete 

 by unscrewing the broken portion and replacing it with a new 

 one. The time lost in doing this, though very short, was sufficient 



