32 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [nOV. 4, 



It is from this formation that coal is talcen at various points 

 along the Union Pacific Railroad at Coalville, Pleasant Valley, 

 and Castle Valley in Utah. 



The relations of the Laramie group to the coal-bearing rocks 

 of the Puget Sound region are very intimate, and it is certain 

 that, in part at least, these two series were synchronous; many of 

 the fossil plants are common to both, and the relative geological 

 position is essentially the same. 



Most of the so-called Denver Tertiary beds really belong to the 

 Laramie group, at least those beds which contain the remains of 

 Geratops and the stratified ash-beds of South Table Mountain. 

 These latter represent the upper part of the formation, and fully 

 one-half of the fossil plants contained in them are also found in 

 the Lower Laramie at Golden, Florence, Trinidad, etc. 



In Europe, the formations which indicate by their fossils the 

 nearest approach to the Laramie are the paleocene plant-bearing 

 beds of Sezzane, Gelinden, and Alum Bay. It is not known 

 that any species found in tliese localities is represented in the 

 Laramie flora; and in the absence of all connecting links, we 

 should be unwarranted in calling the Laramie paleocene from 

 its fossil plants, while its mollusks and vertebrates forbid this. 



Dr. J. J. Friedrich presented the following communication:' 



ON SOME NEW SPECIES OF PROTOZOOTITES, QUATERNARY AND 

 TERTIARY, FROM CALIFORNIA, AND ON THE IMPORTANCE 

 OF PROTOZOA AS ROCK-BUILDING AGENTS. 



In looking over the Tertiary and Quaternary collections in the 

 geological museum of Columbia College, I noticed a specimen of 

 a grayish, fossiliferous marl of Quaternary age from the coast of 

 Scandinavia, which appeared to be entirely identical with speci- 

 mens collected by me on the Pacific coast. About seven miles 

 south of Point Lobos, San Francisco, the coast hills approach 

 the ocean abruptly, and the shore is so precipitous that no regular 

 beach exists. This feature continues to the north for over a 

 mile. Some portions of the beach at this locality may be acces- 

 sible to exploration at very low tide, which, just prevailing at the 

 time of my visit, exposed a very limited stretch of the beach 

 bottom. My attention was immediately attracted by the semi- 

 solid, plastic character of the fossiliferous bottom, the shells being 

 chiefly Mytilus and Tellina. The specimen from Scandinavia 



1 The material referred to in this paper was presented at the last meet- 

 ing before the summer adjournment; but as there was not time for its 

 proper discussion then, the paper was deferred, and is here given in 

 full. 



