30 THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 
collecting have been raised there in several seasons. Our local 
Niagara Chert Corals, or in shales, are presumably restricted, yet 
they clearly indicate a time when Corals lived and flourished under 
conditions absolutely impossible under modern conditions. 
Since the above notes on Field Geology were taken, I find some 
additional fields have been recently ploughed near the city from 
-which many sponges were formally obtained, as well as glaciated 
flint-flake specimens. 
When staying at Winona during the past summer I received a 
letter from Dr. Whiteaves, Palzeontologist to the Dominion Geologi- 
cal survey, in which he mentioned that the Smithsonian Institute 
intended to publish a Monograph on the Niagara Bryozoons, and 
asked if I could obtain any for the publication. The shale at Grims- 
by formerly contained a good many fairly preserved specimens, but I 
think few can be had now. ‘The writer remembers forwarding some 
fine specimens to the Redpath Museum, in Sir W. Dawson’s time, 
and also to Dublin. Very few are obtainable there now. The ones 
secured on two or three visits to Grimsby were sent on to Ottawa, 
together with specimens from the local glaciated Chert beds of 
Hamilton. The latter, as you know, may be considered to present 
some varieties of Dr. Jas. Hall’s ‘‘ Lichenalia.” I think the prospects 
for collecting now far brighter than they have been for many years, at 
least as far as Sponges and glaciated Chert specimens go, but I fear 
we must experience much disappointment with regard to the Grap- 
tolites. The new City Quarry’has no protecting bed of Erie clay, 
and the Chert there is greatly decayed and improves very slightly 
when worked inwards from the face of the escarpment on the Stone- 
man road. ‘This is not favorable to the preservation of such organ- 
isms. 
The Indian corn has been cut down near the city, but the 
stalks, etc., have not been removed yet, and the clay clods (protected 
by the crop), require rain to break them up and frost to bring speci- 
mens to the surface. Still, despite all these disadvantages, I secured 
on the first visit I paid lately to one well known locality some good 
Sections, as also three or four Sponges. Unfortunately the latter are 
not very well preserved, and a bad attack of inflammation of the eyes 
prevented the writer from further researches for more than four weeks 
before the snow put in its first appearance. 
