224 CONTRIBUTIONS 



Near Chitteningo, fifteen miles east of Syracuse, I ob- 

 served, on my return, a deposit of the same kind, and it 

 then occurred to me, it might be an extremity, or branch, 

 of that of Syracuse. The fact, however, of the streams 

 which pass these two villages, emptying themselves, the 

 one into Onondaga Lake, the other into Oneida Lake, 

 points to the probability of their being two distinct deposits. 



The chief object in throwing my notes together, and 

 making these observations, is the hope of inducing some 

 naturalist, who has more time, and may not be so far 

 removed from the spot, to devote some attention to ob- 

 taining all the species which may be there deposited, and 

 to ascertain, with some degree of precision, its extent. I 

 doubt not but that all the species found in the neighbour- 

 ing lakes will be discovered in this marl, even the Naiades. 

 In passing rapidly along, I thought I could perceive much 

 larger species than those which were gathered, during the 

 few minutes I was on shore. 



A lacustrine formation, of so recent a nature as this 

 appears to be, is not, I believe, of frequent occurrence. It is 

 the result, however, of one of those causes which are now 

 in action ; and another instance might be mentioned, in 

 which the effect of this cause, though striking, has not ad- 

 vanced to that period when it would make a finished deposit. 

 I mean the small lake, or pond, in Sussex county, New 

 Jersey, well known by the descriptive name of Milk 

 Pond.* Here countless myriads of bleached shells, of the 



* It takes its name from the milky appearance of the waters, near the 

 shore, caused by the mass of bleached shells deposited there. In 

 Gordon's Map of New Jersey, it is named White Pond. 



