a 4 
And the “ Great Carolina Marl Bed” 17 
clay, yellow sands, and alluvium of the country; the 
Post-Pleiocene, like the Miocene in other parts of the 
State, is only found in patches ; its geological position 
is under the red clay. 
“Tn the strata of sand, marl-rock, blue mud and 
peat, just described, we find the following fossils : 
Bones and teeth of Mastodon, Megatherium, Dino- 
therium, Elephant, Deer, Horse, Cow, Hog, Muskrat, 
etc., etc., mixed up with the remains of marine ani- 
mals; but in the Marl not a single fragment of a 
Mammalian has yet been discovered, except cetacean. 
If ever a specimen has been taken from the Marl, it 
was near its surface—perhaps from some hole or 
depression so shallow as to escape the notice of the 
finder, and there can be no doubt that in this manner 
several naturalists have been deceived in supposing 
these fossils to have come out of the true Eocene 
Marl. 
“T am convinced they belong to a more recent 
formation, and we must await further investigation 
ere we attempt a determination of the ages of these 
beds.” 
The Eocene Marl is soft and easily dug; its color 
is a greenish yellow; and it is composed mainly of 
microscopic shells and infusorial cases. These shells 
belong to a group called by naturalists PoLYTHALAMIA, 
which means shells with many chambers or apart- 
ments, like the AMMONITE and the Nauritus. Com- 
paratively, these shells are of gigantic size. The 
late Professor Bailey, of West Point, in a_ letter 
to Professor J. Lawrence Smith, remarks : “You can 
° 
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