416 On the Geological Age of the White Mountains. 
Though the number of species possessing a sufficiently definite 
- form is very limited, we think we may safely refer them to the 
Levant series of our nomenclature, (embracing the Clinton group 
of New York.) Some of the forms however bear an analogy to 
certain species which abound in the higher part of the Matinal 
series, in the Matinal newer shades, (Hudson river group, ) and we 
desire therefore to be understood as venturing our opinion of their 
belonging to the Levant formations, with considerable hesitation. 
We should mention however that besides the above affinities of 
the fossils, there are several features about the rock, especially the 
great abundance of Agnostis and other minute organic forms, 
which induce us to lean to the conclusion that it is a member of 
the great Levant series. 
This stratum, so remarkably fossiliferous, is only a few yards 
in width where it is exposed at the locality we have designated, 
and it there lies with a nearly vertical. dip, between masses of 
highly altered sandstone, possessing, until carefully inspected, a 
close resemblance to granite. The white feldspathic or granit- 
ized sandstone, already described as crowning the top of the hill, 
belongs probably to one of these including masses ; but from the 
perpendicularity of the dip it is obviously impossible to infer 
which was originally the superior formation. Near the summit 
of the ridge, however, the sandstone seems to overlie the shale; 
but an inversion of the dip here might very naturally exist, and 
it is necessary therefore to appeal to some other evidence than 
that of position merely to determine the stratigraphical order of 
these rocks. As the altered white sandstone in the portions ex- 
, is apparently destitute of organic remains, we have no 
feature to guide us but its composition and aspect. ‘These are 
well marked and strongly indicate its identity with the Levant 
white sandstone, (or Shawangunk grit.) To, no other formation 
in the whole Apalachian series, except perhaps the primal sand- 
stone, (Potsdam sandstone, ) does it bear any near resemblance, and 
its affinity even to the primal sandstone is rather remote. ‘The 
shales belonging to the primal rocks contain moreover scarcely 
any fossils and certainly none of the species here enumerated, 
and since there is no visible hiatus in the strata indicated by an 
unconforming dip, this argument may be held to be conclusive. 
We are therefore disposed to regard the two formations, the white 
- sandstone and the fossiliferous shale, as the equivalents Bai 
