66 EXPEDITION TO THE 



cellular. We took specimens with us to examine them 

 chemically, with a view to ascertain what changes they 

 had undergone; but they were lost with part of our collec- 

 tions. The objects which seemed to resist decomposition 

 most effectually, were teeth. Of these we found, how- 

 ever, but few, not more than half a dozen ; two of them 

 were milk teeth, the rest had belonged to adults; they 

 were rather of a small size, and worn out almost to the 

 root. The bones all lay scattered and without order ; they 

 were fragments of the cranium, the arms, shoulders, &c. 

 which almost crumbled under the pressure of the fingers. 

 The only object that we noticed with them, were the two 

 incisor teeth of a ground squirrel, which were probably of 

 fortuitous deposition. 



The rocks in the neighbourhood of Piqua are uniform- 

 ly composed of a white limestone, of a compact texture, 

 but containing many cavities filled by crystallized carbon- 

 ate of lime. It is filled w^ith organic impressions, among 

 which Mr. Say determined the Flustra, (expanded and 

 branched,) the Terebratula, the Caryophillaea, and probably 

 several others. A rolled specimen, which is supposed not 

 to belong to this formation, contained a tolerably good im- 

 pression of Favosites striata^ S. 



We also found here a specimen of primitive limestone 

 with mica ; but it was evidently rolled, and bore no resem- 

 blance to the rocks which occur in place in this vicinity. 

 At Piqua the rocks are all very well stratified, the strata 

 being nearly horizontal. This limestone is found to yield 

 by burning, a lime of a tolerably good quality. It is stated 

 that salt springs have been discovered in various places 

 near Piqua, but we met with none. 



There is a very considerable rapid in the Miami at this 

 place, which has induced a company to cut a canal for the 



