THE BREACH AT THE HIGHLANDS. 373 



over with organic remains ; they overspread the fields ; 

 they appear in the stone fences ; they show themselves 

 in the walls of houses. From Warwick to Paltz and 

 Esopus, oceanic relicks imbedded in stones, are constant- 

 ly before the traveller's eyes. They are mostly loose, 

 and mingled with the other nodules with which the coun- 

 try abounds ; at least I do not recollect to have observed 

 any stratified rocks thereabout, that contained them. 

 Among them are many pectinites and terebratulas, with 

 sometimes an oyster. But peculiar madrepores, corallines, 

 and fulciments of polypes are of frequent occurrence. If 

 I am not greatly mistaken, a young lady, Miss Anicartha 

 Miller, brought me a stone at New Hurley, which con- 

 tained a maritime plant, of the family^ of valva, or fucus, 

 not petrified, but in its proper form. I am in possession 

 of the real scale of a sturgeon, broke out of a stone at Sha- 

 wangunk, and brought to me by Dr. P. S. Townsend. 



The fossils of the Wallkill region, like those from 

 Freehold and Poughkeepsie, are contained in a kind of 

 wacke or killas, in which a mixture of fine clay and silex, 

 is hardened by an impregnation of a brown or yellow- 

 ish ochre of iron. I did not observe any of this class of 

 relicks, lying unconnected, or in their naked state in the 

 soil. 



But there is another sort of testaceous productions, 

 which deserve notice here. These 'are the shells and re- 

 lieks of fresh water molluscas. They have undoubtedly 

 made their appearance since the salt water was drawn off, 

 and thejf form an era in the geology of this region. 



These creatures inhabit certain pools or ponds of wa- 

 ter, in the depressions or excavations which are frequent 



