318 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Aug. 



sive in their character to throw any positive light upon the age of 

 the rocks which hold them. The other markings before mentioned, 

 such as worm-burrows, shrinkage-cracks, and rain-drop impressions, 

 although they furnished conclusive evidence as to the physical con- 

 ditions under which the beds were formed, did not serve to remove 

 the obscurity which enveloped the discussion of their age. 



" Subsequently, during an examination of the valley of the Cold- 

 brook by Mr. Matthew and his brother, organic remains were obser- 

 ved of a more decided character. These latter consisted, besides some 

 obscure relics of a small orthoceratite, and numerous trilobitesof two 

 or three species, but these were so excessively distorted that no satis- 

 factory conclusions could be based upon their study. Until the 

 present summer, therefore, the age of this great series, although 

 vaguely surmised, remained a subject of discussion and doubt. 

 The discovery of finely-preserved Trilobites and Brachiopods at 

 Ratcliffe's stream, and in the valley of the Coldbrook, has now 

 removed this doubt, and left no uncertainty as to the age and ori- 

 gin of the group which holds them. We regard this discovery as 

 among the most interesting and valuable results of our summer's 

 labour. 



" That the discussion of this question might have the careful and 

 attentive study which its importance demanded, the fossils above 

 referred to were placed in the hands of Mr. Hartt, who, as will be 

 seen below, has enjoyed peculiar facilities for their determination 

 and comparison. It had been hoped that the entire results of that 

 gentleman's labours might have been embodied in the present Re- 

 port, but the want of sufficient leisure tor their complete analysis, 

 has prevented this from being accomplished. The following notice 

 is however, introduced as preliminary to a more detailed descrip- 

 tion to be given hereafter : 



Preliminary Notice of a Fauna of the Primordial Period in the 

 vicinity of St. John, N. B. 

 By C. Fred. Hartt, A.M. 

 " My examination of the fossils collected last August, from the 

 Saint John group, at Ratcliffe's millstream, by Prof. Bailey, Mr. 

 Geo. Matthew, and myself, and of a collection made from the same 

 group at Coldbrook, in 1863, by Messrs Geo. and C. B. Matthew, 

 is not yet sufficiently complete to enable me to give an extended 

 description of them here. I shall therefore limit myself, at pre- 

 sent, to a notice of the genera, and of the aid they afford in the 

 determination of the geological position of the Saint John group, 



