178 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [June 



est as it is rather slow in its action. It seems to be es- 

 sential in improving the appearance of the preparations. 



During the course of my studies of this new deposit I 

 made sketches of all the forms found in the material in 

 the hope of being able to identify the various species, 

 but I found that it was a hopeless task to identify th^ 

 majority of the species with certainty. 1 had available 

 one Moller Type Plate, one Getchsman Type Plate, cov- 

 ering some five hundred species, Kain's Blue print copy 

 of Adolf Schmidt's Atlas (80 plates only) and Wolle's 

 Diatomacea? of North America. All of these were only 

 serviceable as giving the genera alone. The identifica- 

 tion of the species with their aid was impracticable. 

 The identification of a species involves the highest criti- 

 cal skill, as indicated in the critical notes attached to 

 Schmidt's figures. So I leave the determination of the 

 species characterizing the Suggesville deposit to those 

 who have a genius for sucli work. 



Immediately on determining that I had found an inter- 

 esting and new dei>osit with unfamiliar North American 

 species I at once forwarded to Mr. J. Tempere, of Paris, 

 a specimen of the new earth. He replied that he had 

 received the material, and that he would clean it, and 

 send me a list of ilie species contained in the same. Six 

 months have elapsed and nothing in reference to the 

 deposit has been received from him. This may show that 

 it takes time to determine with acuracy the species in 

 an unfamiliar deposit. 



Incidentally there is an element of scientific romance 

 connected with the Suggsville find which may be stated 

 in this wise : Some ten or more years ago a letter came 

 to me from the Alabama State Geologist, Ur. E. A. Smith, 

 enclosing a letter of inquiry to him from an Atlantic 

 Coast Geologist. It asked whether there was a known 

 fossil Marine Diatomaceous deposit within the bounds of 

 Alabama. The party writing was interested in the sub- 



