236 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [July 



as Basic City. The bluff is not an adjunct to a river 

 bank, but more particularly the result of a side hill 

 cutting to make track room for two parallel railroad tracks 

 passing that point. The bluff'-like aspect is preserved 

 for about a mile. Along the face of this cutting at a 

 height of about ten feet above the level of the road-bed 

 a soft stratum of finely lammated clay proved to be very 

 rich in diatomaceous and radiolarian forms as well as 

 foraminifera, the most interesting peculiarity of the 

 stratum beiug in the richness of a single specie of tri- 

 ceratium, hundreds of them showing up in a small clean- 

 ing by the trituration method of treatment. The other 

 forms were mostly species of coscinodiscus fully preserv- 

 ing their sculptural markings. The contents of the 

 strata above and below this soft thinly laminated stratum 

 were more of radiolarian forms than diatoms. During 

 the superficial examination of the various alternating 

 layers of the formation but one single large specimen 

 of a nautilus was found, in a fine state of preservation, 

 and this one, found by the mere chance of a slab of the 

 radiolarian chalk splitting open while lifting it up. For 

 economic purposes as a source of silicious clays, the 

 strata are of unlimited extent, being above fifty feet 

 in height and of indefinite extension. This marine de- 

 posit of silicious and aluminous clays rests conformably 

 upon a thick stratum of coarse greens and marl. By the 

 trituration process an unlimited quantity of radiolarian, 

 diatomaceous forms and sponge spicules may be removed 

 for appropriate study. 



At Boyce, a few miles south of Enterprise, an extensive 

 formation of a cretaceous rock is found which is locally 

 quarried by the aid of cross cut saws and is found to be 

 universally used for the construction of very durable 

 chimneys and fire places within the whole area occupied 

 by the white limestone formation. Any piece of this 

 chalklike chimney rock may be softened by soaking in 



