158 procp:edings of the canadiax institute. 



genus Corbula V)ut tliey all seemed exceedingly fragile and no com- 

 plete forms were observed. In several [tarts of the ravine, layeis 

 of ironstone intei-calcated among the strata of grey sandstone, are 

 of common occurrence and at some points exposures of coal appear, 

 but the seams are comparatively thin, and experience has shown that 

 they are ot too irregular a nature to pa}' to work. 



When the hope of finding reptilian remains was beginning to 

 lessen, and my companion becoming disheartened ; (for he had come 

 expressly to see the interesting relics of past life,) our energies were 

 revived by finding four fragments of thoroughly petrified bones : these 

 lav on the side of the hill, and appeared as if they had fallen from 

 layers higher up the exposure. Our fallen hopes much revived by 

 this discove y, with renewed vigor we climbed the hill-side, where we 

 expected to find more remains in their original position. Though 

 this seemed on consulting our sketch, to Vje near the spot we sought, 

 still, we were forced to abandon further search for the reptile, cross 

 over to another part of the ravine and confine our attention to the 

 lofty sides of the escarpment there. 



Here a magnificent exposure appeared, largely made up of beautiful 

 sandstone comparatively soft interspersed with bands of stone more 

 or less ferruginous and in some places seams of inferior coal. 



The effect of the weather upon this soft sandstone was very marked 

 much of it a]H)eared to have crumbled away leaving shelves of the 

 ironstone, along which we could walk. 



In some places the crumbling sand had fallen down the sides and 

 covered over cave-like spaces, into which we sometimes fell, as we 

 walked along the sides of the ravine, the sandy covering, which 

 appeared to bridge over these holes, proving too thin to sustain our 

 weight. 



Along the face of this escarpment, and usually near the layers of 

 CO il, we saw several bones protruding from the rock, but as often as 

 we attempted to dig them out, all crumbled away except tlie portion 

 we saw, anl which seemed to have hardened by weathering. A 

 visit to the same place the next year and many attempts made to 

 secure fossils from this sandstone, have convinced me that we can 

 obtain only fragmentary fossils at best from this rock ; its porous 

 nature allows the water to percolate readily through, and thus affect 



