GEOLOGY O'^ THE MERRIMACK DISTRICT. 493 



described under the head of fibroHte schists. In Jaffrey, except the 

 north-west part, some outcrops on the road west of Jaffrey village, and two 

 areas of porphyritic gneiss, the rocks are generally pyritiferous schists, 

 and mostly without concretions. On the road to Mt. Monadnock, for 

 some distance above the gate, we find pyritiferous schist ; but east, on 

 the road to Jaffrey village, there are several kinds of rock. Near the 

 height of land there is a granitic gneiss quite uniform in texture ; then 

 we have a common gneiss with crystals of feldspar ; this is followed by a 

 highly contorted mica schist near an old mill ; then we have the concre- 

 tionary ferruginous schist ; and between this and the village, the gneiss 

 with crystals of feldspar. Three miles north of Jaffrey village, on the 

 road to Dublin, there is gneiss with small feldspar crystals, and for a mile 

 north-east we find pyritiferous schist ; also on the road east of Thorndike 

 pond. South-west of Jaffrey village, between J. Priest's and J. Spauld- 

 ing's, we find gneiss ; and then, except the porphyritic gneiss near A. 

 Emery's, we have only drift to East Jaffrey, and there are no outcrops of 

 rock on the road towards West Rindge. Following down the Contoo- 

 cook, we find ledges of pyritiferous schist near the town line. On both 

 of the roads running south-east from East Jaffrey we find nothing but 

 drift, until we get nearly to Prescottville (Squantum). About half a mile 

 north-west of school-house No. i, there is a band of gneiss quite free 

 from iron with the ferruginous schist ; near Capt. E. Prescott's there is a 

 band of coarse granite, — and the schist here, although decidedly pyritifer- 

 ous, has the mica of the White Mountain gneisses. The rock at the village 

 and at S. Rolfe's, half a mile west, is very much discolored with iron. 



The rocks in Rindge are more uniform than in any other town in 

 Cheshire county. The town is, however, largely covered by drift, which, 

 in this southern section of the state, is quite different from that north- 

 ward. In Rindge, particularly, boulders of large size are seldom found ; 

 the drift occurs in rounded hills, which are composed largely of gravel 

 and pebbles. From the town line, on the road from Fitzwilliam, there 

 are no ledges until we get near West Rindge (Blakeville). Fifty rods 

 to the west of the station, the rock is a decomposing, foliated pyritiferous 

 gneiss ; and east, at a brook, there is a coarse granite vein. Going towards 

 Rindge, near C. K. Stickney's, the rock resembles that west of the station, 

 and here there is a coarse granite vein. Near the village there are many 



