﻿272 
  GEOLOGY. 
  

  

  attributable, 
  perhaps, 
  to 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  pyrites 
  in 
  

   the 
  rock. 
  

  

  Beyond 
  Prairie 
  Mound, 
  and 
  about 
  fifteen 
  miles 
  from 
  

   Pontotoc, 
  near 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  a 
  long 
  hill, 
  which 
  the 
  road 
  

   ascends, 
  the 
  prairie 
  rock 
  is 
  seen 
  to 
  crop 
  out, 
  and 
  the 
  exo- 
  

   gera 
  are 
  again 
  abundant; 
  and 
  at 
  this 
  point 
  a 
  consider- 
  

   able 
  number 
  of 
  belemnites 
  were 
  obtained, 
  numerous 
  

   fragments 
  of 
  them 
  being 
  strewn 
  by 
  the 
  roadside. 
  

  

  Several 
  miles 
  further, 
  after 
  surmounting 
  the 
  hill 
  or 
  

   ridge 
  spoken 
  of, 
  in 
  the 
  bank 
  of 
  a 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  Chowapa, 
  

   the 
  exogera 
  are 
  again 
  seen, 
  and 
  nearer 
  to 
  Pontotoc, 
  two 
  

   or 
  three 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  south, 
  they 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  massive 
  

   beds, 
  forming 
  a 
  conglomerate 
  rock 
  extending 
  with 
  little 
  

   interruption 
  several 
  miles, 
  the 
  general 
  range 
  bearing 
  

   nearly 
  east 
  and 
  west, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  declivity 
  of 
  

   the 
  ridge, 
  resembling 
  a 
  prolonged 
  indented 
  parapet. 
  

  

  The 
  spatangus, 
  a 
  small 
  species 
  of 
  which 
  occurs 
  at 
  

   another 
  more 
  easterly 
  locality 
  nearer 
  Pontotoc, 
  enters 
  

   partially 
  with 
  the 
  exogera, 
  and 
  a 
  proportion 
  of 
  minor 
  

   fragmentary 
  shells, 
  into 
  the 
  composition 
  of 
  the 
  conglome- 
  

   rate, 
  in 
  and 
  near 
  which, 
  some 
  very 
  minute 
  sharks' 
  teeth 
  

   were 
  also 
  found. 
  

  

  Near 
  Tocshish, 
  the 
  old 
  missionary 
  station, 
  some 
  

   twenty-five 
  years 
  since, 
  and 
  before 
  the 
  Indians 
  had 
  re- 
  

   moved 
  from 
  the 
  country, 
  some 
  very 
  conspicuous 
  and 
  ex- 
  

   tensive 
  ranges 
  of 
  a 
  similar 
  conglomerate 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  

   rising 
  several 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  surface, 
  suggesting 
  the 
  idea 
  

   of 
  an 
  ocean 
  reef, 
  or 
  an 
  ancient 
  sea 
  margin. 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  

   learn 
  with 
  certainty 
  whether 
  these 
  ledges 
  yet 
  exist. 
  

   The 
  practice 
  which 
  has 
  obtained 
  in 
  that 
  section 
  of 
  burn- 
  

   ing 
  this 
  shell 
  rock 
  into 
  lime, 
  has 
  most 
  probably 
  consigned 
  

   them 
  to 
  useful 
  and 
  economical 
  purposes. 
  

  

  The 
  occurrence 
  of 
  the 
  vertebra, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  

   bones 
  of 
  the 
  Mosasaurus, 
  found 
  in 
  digging 
  cisterns, 
  and 
  

  

  