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The Nautilus. 



Vol. XXII. FEBRUARY, 1909. No. 10. 



A WEEK AT CLAIBORNE, ALABAMA. 



BY REV. H. E. WHEELER. 



A part of my October vacation was spent with a party of geologists 

 on a house-boat trip from Tuscaloosa, on the Warrior river, to Jack- 

 son, on the Tombigbee. The party consisted of the State Geologists 

 from South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Alabama, namely, Mr. 

 Earle Sloan, Mr. T. W. McCaloie, Dr. E. H. Sellards, Dr. Eugene 

 A. Smith and Dr. F. W. Prouty, besides Dr. George Little, of Tus- 

 caloosa; Dr. Roland M. Harper, of New York, botanist; Hon. T. H. 

 Aldrich, of Birmingham, paleontologist; and Dr. T. Wayland 

 Vaughan, of the U. S. Geological Survey, who was studying in 

 detail the correlation of the coastal plain geology of the Southern 

 States. 



One of the results of the expedition was the confirmation of our 

 Alabama nomenclature for the cretaceous and tertiary formations so 

 typically illustrated in this State. Another. result was the fine series 

 of fossils collected along the route. 



From Jackson some of the party went to the sections about Mobile 

 to study the Grand Gulf formation, while I made my way to the classic 

 locality — Claiborne, on the Alabama river. To one who has but 

 recently delved into the mysteries of paleontology no more encourag- 

 ing formation could be desired than this. Made famous by the early 

 work of Lea and Conrad, a fascination for every student since, it will 

 not fail to yield treasures new and old to any zealous collector. A 

 year ago I gathered a quantity of shells there, enough to fill the win- 

 ter's evenings with rare pleasure, but this year I was even more 

 fortunate. 



