THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 35 



the specimens obtained from the bed of the stream had the 

 carbonaceous portion removed by acidulated water flowing over 

 them — the corneous substance of the Niagara graptolites is not 

 always preserved. The absence of the bituminous matter in fossil 

 plants has frequently caused them to be mistaken for worm-casts 

 formed by the ejeda of a marine annelid, while, on the other hand, 

 the roots of modern grasses penetrating between the layers of shale, 

 stamp impressions often erroneously regarded as fossilized plant 

 remams. 



It may be thought that I am rather aggressive in my notes on 

 some of the disputed plants of the district. That reminds me of a 

 story I once heard at our mess. An Irish guardsman was on sentry 

 in London, Tired of walking up and down at his post, he halted and 

 ordered arms just as a man approached accompanied by a bull dog. 

 The latter considered the action nothing more or less than a hostile 

 one, and went for the soldier, who immediately brought his musket 

 to the charge and received his adversary on the point of his bayonet. 

 " Why did you not use the butt end and beat him off with that ? " 

 indignantly exclaimed the owner. " Sure, man, I would have done 

 that if he came at me tail foremost, but it was the fighting end that 

 came first and so I couldn't help it." 



Further evidence on the question is given by Col. Grant in a subsequent 

 paper in this number. 



