Coal Formation of Nova Scotia. 357 
_ The remaining fossiliferous rocks so far as they are yet known 
belong to the carboniferous group, and occupy tensive tracts in 
the northern part of the peninsula, resting unconformably on the 
preceding series. They may be divided into two principal for- 
mations, one of which comprises the productive coal-measures, 
agreeing precisely with those of Europe in lithological and palzeon- 
tological character.. The other consists chiefly of Red Sandstone 
and red marl, with subordinate beds of gypsum and marine lime- 
stone, but this series is also occasionally associated with coal-grits, 
shales, and thin seams of coal. A variety of opinions have been 
entertained respecting the true age of the last mentioned or gyp- 
siferous formation, and it is the purport of this paper to show, 
first, that it belongs to the carboniferous group ; secondly, that it 
occupies a lower position than the productive coal-measures. 
These last are of vast thickness in Nova Scotia, being largely de- 
veloped in Cumberland County, and near Pictou, and recurring 
again at Sydney in Cape Breton. In all these places they contain 
shales, probably deposited in a fresh-water estuary, in which sev- 
eral species of Cypris and Modiola abound. ‘The plants of these 
coal-measures belong to the genera Calamites, Sigillaria, Stigma- 
the estuary of the Schubenacadie River, the district of Brookfield, 
and the cliffs at the bridge crossing the Debert River near Truro. 
Several species-of corals and shells are common to all these lo- 
calities, and recur in similar limestones in Cape Breton. In this 
assemblage of organic remains we find a Crustacean intermediate 
between the Trilobite and Limulus, Orthoceras, (two species, ) 
Nautilus, Conularia, Enerinus and Cyathophyllum, besides some 
Species of the carboniferous limestone of Europe, such as Euom- 
