NOVA SCOTIA. 569 



and its vicinity, where these deposits rise from beneath the Lower 

 Carboniferous series, fonning the high ground on the eastern side 

 of tlie river. The beds are here mucli altered, and penetrated by 

 igneous dikes, and are vertical, or with very high southerly dips 

 and N.E. and S.W. strike. They consist of coarse slates and 

 calcareous bands resembling those of the Upper Arisaig series in 

 mineral character, and holding many of the same species, especially 

 Chonetes Nova-Scotica ; but we have here in addition a great bed 

 of fossiliferous peroxide of iron, in some parts forty feet in thickness, 

 and witli oolitic structure ; but passing into a ferruginous sandstone, 

 and associated with slate and quartz rock. The precise age of 

 these ferruginous rocks relatively to the Arisaig series, it is not 

 easy to determine, but they arc evidently Upper Silurian. The 

 stratigraphical evidence, though obscure, would place them in the 

 upper part of the series. The fossils are in a bad state of pre- 

 servation ; but, in so far as they give any information, it coincides 

 with the apparent relation of the beds. Similar ferruginous beds 

 occur in the Clinton series (the Surgent of Rogers) in New York 

 and Canada ; and as we have already seen in the Lower Devonian 

 in the western part of Nova Scotia. On the whole, I regard 

 the beds seen at the East River of Pictou as belonging to the 

 same line of oiitcrop with the Arisaig series, but as probably 

 containing, in addition to the u^iper member of that series, beds 

 somewhat higher in position. 



I am indebted to Mr D. Fraser of Spi'ingville, East River, for 

 a large addition to my collection from this place ; by the aid of 

 which I am now enabled to present the following list, which has 

 been kindly revised by Mr Billings. Unfortunately, many of the 

 specimens were in a condition too imperfect to permit of satisfactory 

 specific determination, and Mr Billings, with proper caution, declined 

 to give them specific names for the present, in the hope that better 

 materials might be found. The species common to the East River 

 and Arisaig are indicated by an asterisk. 



* Chonetes Nova-Scotica, Hall, very characteristic of certain hard 



calcareous bands. 

 C. ienuistriata, Hall. 

 Strophomena, flat striated species. 

 Spirifera, resembling aS^. cycloptera, but with regular ribs. 



* Spirifera rugaecosia, Hall. 



* Sphnfera subsidcata, Hall. 



Rhynchonella (?) n. s., like R. transversa, Hall. This and another 

 species very abundant in hard impure limestone. 



