6 TwEXTY-TuiRD Report ox the State Cabixet. 



duties would permit. Although a large part of the fossils of 

 the State had been properly described and named, there still 

 remained an extensive class, the Lamellibranchiata, which had 

 never been critically studied, and the names Avhich they had 

 received were, in many instances, quite nnsatisfactory, or known 

 to be erroneous in their generic reference. Indeed our knowl- 

 edge of the genera and species was such that, without a 

 thorough revision of the whole, it would at this time have been 

 discreditable to the Museum to have distributed them to institu- 

 tions of learning, or to individuals engaged in their study. 

 The revision of these fossils has been progressing the past j^ear, 

 and, b}^ the efficient aid of Mr. R. P. Whitfield, much valuable 

 work has been accomplished and a satisfactory determination 

 made of many of the genera and species. At the same time, 

 the drawing of these shells, for illustrating the Palaeontology 

 of the State, has been ra^^idly progressing.* 



Tlieir study, moreover, developed the fact, tliat in many 

 respects the museum was very deficient in proper rej)resenta- 

 tives of this group of fossils, and it became imjjerative to 

 increase the collections for the purpose of study and determin- 

 ation of the species. 



With this object in view, Mr. Whitfield has visited several 

 important localities of the Chemung group, in the southwestern 

 counties of the State, and has obtained valuable collections 

 from the neighborhood of Angelica, Rockville, Hobbieville, 

 Philipsburg, and other places in Alleghany count}^ He has 

 also made valuable and interesting collections from the coarse 

 sandstones and conglomerates of Portville and Ceres, on the 

 south of Olean, and also from near the village of Salamanca, in 

 Cattaraugus county. 



These collections have brought more vividly before us the 

 imperative necessity of a careful study of these rocks along 

 their lines of junction with succeeding groups of strata, before 

 the limits of the newer geological formations of the State can 

 be considc^'od as well established. Six boxes of medium size, 

 filled with specimens, have been collected from that portion of 



* Mr. Conrad, formerly the palaeontologist of the State survey, long since placed 

 in my hands all his manuscripts and figures of the Ijamcllibranchiate fossils of the 

 State. Although many of the figures were unfinished or but pen and ink sketches, 

 yet, from having their names attached, they have been of great service in the iden- 

 tification of species where the short, published descriptions would have been insuf- 

 ficient. Mr. Conrad has also, on two occasions, visited Albany for the purpose of 

 examining my collection," and giving me the benefit of his identification and deter 

 mination of the species of this order previously described by him 



