Review of the New York Geological Reports. 69 
"Fig 5 is the only one of these which we know has been found 
West; it occurs in great abundance in the shell strata of the 
Falls of the Ohio, and, at some localities, is common also in the 
water limestone above; in fact it is by far the most conspicuous 
fossil in both these rocks. Speaking of the organic remains of 
the corniferous limestone in the vicinity of Williamsville and sev- 
eral points between that place and Buffalo, Hann remarks: “ It is 
particularly interesting from containing numerous fossils of the 
genera Strophomena, Delthyris and Pleurorhyncus ;” if he had 
added Atrypa, this observation would have been equally applica- 
ble to the shell strata on the Falls of the Ohio.* All this goes to 
show, almost conclusively, that these shell beds, the western wa- 
ter limestone, and the corniferous rock, were deposited at the same 
period of time; the more especially since they are overlaid, at both 
localities, by a black bituminous shale so different from the un- 
derlying members of the middle division of the New York system. 
There are numerous localities where the corniferous limestone 
can be studied: we may mention particularly the quarries in Sen- 
eca County, the bed of Flint Creek at Vienna, the outlet of Ca- 
nandaigua Lake, and the bed of Mud Creek. At the village of 
West Mendon, near the village of Caledonia, and between this 
and Le Roy, the strata are well exhibited, but few fossils occur. 
At Clarence Hollow, this rock contains a few fossils not else- 
where seen: Aas 
In consequence of the fissured, or rather disjointed state of the 
beds constituting this rock formation, water often percolates to a 
considerable depth before it reaches an impervious stratum ; there 
accumulating, it at length flows out some distance down the 
northern outerop in copious and refreshing springs, imparting ver- 
dure and beauty to the scene beneath, which forms a striking 
contrast to the arid and barren ledges above. Streams, too, often 
disappear in the vacant spaces of the creviced rock. From the 
same cause, the vegetation over the limestone is more vigorous 
immediately above the cracks of the rock than elsewhere, owing 
to the moisture beneath rising by evaporation and capillary at- 
traction to the rootlets of the overgrowing plants. 
“Few simple minerals present themselves in this formation ; 
hornstone sometimes passes into chalcedony, and crystallized 
7 
* In a crystalline layer of limestone interposed between the shell stratum and ay 
the water limestone, we found a Conularia which seems to be the same species as 
isulcatus of the Wenlock limestone. 
