76 



together. It wakcned up a large field of enquirv and it must be true 

 thus. Very soon I had specimens from California of Bacillaria impre- 

 gnated with asphaltum, and I learned that a company had been for- 

 med to work it for the asphaltum and for the compound of Diatom 

 earth and asphaltum which was used for Street paving. Thus I was 

 partialy confirmed in my discovery it be called of the occurrence of 

 Bacillaria and asphaltum. 



Let us now examine this deposit microscopicalv. It is from place 

 known as Asphalto, Kern County, California on the outside of the 

 Sierra Nevada Mountains. Thus it negatives the theory ot Bailey 

 that the marine Diatomaceous strata were only found on the west 

 or coast side of the mountains, the Coast Range. Showing what it is 

 to make theories from things brought in by collectors false and how 

 easyly we can be fooled by them. And how \ve ought to collect our- 

 selves and wait to construct theories until several collections are ma- 

 cie. But I will show that hereafter the salt water deposit of Bacil- 

 laria on the coast and belong to an older stratum or period than the 

 marine-the Eocene. This is older than the Miocene. And the Mio- 

 cene, so called, is recent and is the same as are now forming along 

 the coast and in the bottoni of the ocean. 



This shown by the soundings brought home by Challenger and 

 Tuscarora and other ships. When this earth from Asphalto is cafe- 

 fully broken up by boilling in a weak solution of carbonate of soda, 

 the so called alkali used for making soap and sold extensively in iron 

 boxes which hold about a pound. The solution in water is alkalinc 

 but violently so and can be diluted to make it of any degree of al- 

 kalinity we wish and so does not materialy dissolve or injure the 

 shells of Diatoms or Bacillaria which are exposed to it for a short 

 time to it only. It is washed with recenty fìltered water untili ali of 

 the alkali is removed. And here I would wish to urge again on useing 

 recently fìltered fresh water in manipulating Bacillaria. 



If ordinary fresh water be used it almost always contains fresh 

 water Bacillaria and if the fìltered water be not used soon after fil- 

 tering it will also contain some Bacillaria. I have found this is so and 

 have often been confused with finding fresh water Bacillaria, as Na- 

 vicula viridis, in my gatherings or on my slides, or even marine 

 fossil slides of Bacillaria. Therefore I have always used recent and 



