4 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Vol. ix, 



[now known as Orthis hipparioni/x], Strophomena depressa 

 [now usually known as S. rhomboidalis^, and species of ^yicwZa, 

 Bellerophon, Favosites, Zaphrentis, &c. These Prof. Hall com- 

 pares with the fauna of the Oriskany sandstone ; and they seem 

 to give indubitable testimony that the Nictaux iron ore is of 

 Lower Devonian age. 



" To the southward of the ore, the country exhibits a succes- 

 sion of ridges of slate holding similar fossils, and probably repre- 

 sentino; a thick series of Devonian beds, though it is quite possible 

 that some of them may be repeated by faults or folds. Farther 

 to the south these slates are associated with bands of crystalline 

 greenstone and quartz rock, and arc then interrupted by a great 

 mass of white granite, which extends far into the interior and 

 separates these beds from the similar, but non-fossiliferous rocks 

 on the inner side of the metamorphic band of the Atlantic coast. 

 The Devonian beds appear to dip into the granite, which is in- 

 trusive and alters the slates near the junction into gneissoid rock 

 holding garnets. The granite sends veins into the slates, and 

 near the junction contains numerous angular fragments of altered 

 Elate. 



" Westward of the Nictaux River, the granite abruptly crosses 

 the line of strike of the slates, and extends quite to their northern 

 border, cutting them off in the manner of a huge dyke, from their 

 continuation about ten miles further westward. The beds of slate 

 in running against this great dyke of granite, change in strike 

 from south-west to west, near the junction, and become slightly 

 contorted and altered into gneiss, and filled with granite veins ; 

 but in some places they retain trace= of their fossils to within 200 

 yards of the granite. The intrusion of this great mass of granite 

 without material disturbance of the strike of the slates, conveys 

 the impression that it has melted quietly through the stratified 

 deposits, or that these have been locally crystallised into granite 

 171 situ. 



*' At Moose River, the iron ore and its associated beds recur 

 on the western side of the granite before mentioned, but in a state 

 of greater metamorphism than at Nictaux. The iron is here in 

 the state of magnetic ore, but still holds fossil shells of the same 

 species with those of Nictaux. 



** On Bear River, near the bridge by which the main road 

 crosses it, beds equivalent to those of Nictaux occur with a pro- 

 fusion of fossils. The iron ore is not seen, but there are highly 



