114 GEOLOGICAL AREAS OF CANADA. 



shale, but worked as a single seam. It averages neai-ly five feet in 

 thickness. In the associated sandstones and shales, upright and 

 prostrate trunks of sigillarise and lepidodendra — with other coal 

 plants, shells of fresh water mollusca, and numerous fish scales — 

 occur throughout the section. In these rocks, also, the remains of 

 an extinct ami)hibian — the Dendrerpeton Acadianum of Owen and 

 Wyman — belonging, apparently, to the perrenibranchiate section of 

 the Urodela — were discovered by Dr. Dawson, in 1852 ; and reptilian 

 tracks have been discovered subsequently. Some of the lower beds 

 of this locality yield grindstones of high reputation. On the southern 

 margin of this area, where the general dip of the strata is towards 

 the north, seams of greater thickness have been recognized. These 

 lie east of the River Macan, in the Springhill coal country. Several 

 seams of workable thickness have been discovered by trial pits. One 

 exceeds 13 feet, and another 1 1 feet in thickness, the others ranging 

 from 2 to 6 feet. The coal is a bituminous or gas coal, of excellent 

 quality. 



5. The Pictou Area. — This is the most important coal area of 

 Nova Scotia proper. It lies directly east of the Cumberland Carboni- 

 ferous district and the Cobequid mountain range, and thus comprises 

 the country around Pictou Harbour, generally. It extends, how- 

 ever, southwards and eastwards to the older Paheozoic and Syeuitic 

 mountainous country, which ranges from the eastern borders of the 

 Truro area through Egerton and Maxwelltown, and continues to 

 the north coast in the Antigonish and Arisaig Hills. On these 

 southern and eastern borders the area is occupied generally by 

 various conglomerates, . dark green and other-coloured slates and 

 shales (many of which become opaque white by weathering), and 

 some dark quartzites — all Pre-Carboniferous, but otherwise of doubt- 

 ful age; and these are followed towards the north or north-west by 

 grey and red sandstones and conglomerates, with a few limestone and 

 gypsum beds, belonging to the Lower Carboniferou'i series. These 

 lower formations are more or less tilted and disturbed, and they 

 exhibit nearly opposite dips in diflferent localities. The central and 

 northern portions of the area are occupied by succeeding strata of the 

 Middle or Productive series, with overlying beds of the Upper series 

 in places along the coast. The general dip of these strata is north- 

 wards — i. e., a little west or east of north — or towards ITorthum- 

 berland straits ; but they ai'e affected, over the more southern portion 



