1894. ] NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 167 
yellow clay which in turn is covered by yellow gravel. A num- 
ber of specimens of the black clay were examined, and in nearly 
every one was found a curious jointed hair of a yellowish brown 
color. [ Pl. ‘IV., Figs. 1 and 2.] I have not been able to identify 
it thus far and can . simply note its resemblance to a crustacean 
hair. Frustules of Melosira Granulata [Ehr.] Ralfs. Pl. IV., 
Fig. 26 and 27 were also discovered in thisclay. Fig. 9, Pl. IV., 
is the fragment of a spicule from the clay at Farmingdale. 
Nothing was noticed in the clays from Fisher Island or Fresh 
Pond, but in that from Northport which greatly resembles 
some of the State Island clays and may prove to be of the same 
age; three species of diatoms were met, viz.: 
Melosira granulata [Ehr.] Ralfs. Pl. 1V., Figs. 26 and 27. 
Diatoma hyemale, K. B. 
Cocconema parvum, W. Smith. Pl. IV., Fig. 14. 
All three are fresh water species. In the clay from Centre 
Island in Oyster Bay, one species of diatom is thus far known 
to occur, viz: 
Stephanodiscus niagare, Pl. IV., Fig. 28, Ehr., and in addition 
there was noticed a brown bristly hair, Pl. IV., Fig. 29. 
The most interesting discovery, however, was the finding of 
diatoms in the stoneware clay at Glen Cove. he species are 
Melosira granulata [Ehr.| Ralfs. Pl. 1V., Fig. 27. 
Stephanodiscus niagarex, Ehr. Pl. IV., Fig. 98, and a frustule, 
which according to Prof. C. H. Kain, who has ver y kindly iden- 
tified many of my specimens, is possibly Diatoma hyemale, P|. 
IV., Fig. 10. The Melosira is fairly common. 
While diatoms have not been observed in abundance in any 
deposits older than the Tertiary, the first undoubted proof of 
their occurrence is in the Chalk, which is upper cretaceous. 
The clay at Glen Cove, in which the diatoms occur, is consid- 
ered to be middle cretaceous, and if this is true it extends the 
known geological range of diatoms. Let us see what evidence 
we have of its age. In appearance and chemical composition 
the stoneware clay closely resembles many of the New Jersey 
cretaceous clays. It outcrops on the south shore of Mosquito 
Inlet, near its mouth. The bluff in which the clay containing 
the cretaceous fossils is exposed, is on the north shore of the 
inlet and at its mouth. The concretions containing the leaves 
are distributed all along the shore of the inlet from one outcrop 
to the other, but none have been met in the stoneware clay. On 
this evidence the stoneware clay is considered middle creta- 
ceous. It may be added that all the diatoms found in the stone- 
ware clay, are species which are living at the present day. No 
diatoms were found in the clay bearing the concretions, but 
