82 JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS 
“ron pyrites.”’ Since the quarry was abandoned, the weather- 
ing process, rain-water, etc., has converted the iron of the mineral 
into rust, and deposited beneath it a fair quantity of ‘‘Sulphur,’’ 
its other ingredient. This band in the shale, together with the 
“ron pyrites’’ in Pentamerus limestone bed, we may look upon 
as the source of the sulphur springs, and the small quantity of 
the sulphur gas found at the Albion Mills, near Hamilton. 
When we remember how limited in thickness are the lme- 
stone layers here, we reasonably conclude ‘‘caverns’’ can hardly 
exist which would permit the accumulation of gas. I have 
secured some specimens of the sulphur from the quarry to place 
in the case containing a few other Hamilton minerals. 
At the opening meeting of the Geological Section we decided 
to ascertain whether a medium-sized ‘‘coral,’’ obtained late last 
year at water-lime Barton beds at ‘‘Rosseaux creek,’’ was a dis- 
tinct species or not. A more fully developed one, corresponding 
with the ‘‘Favosites,’’ was placed in the upper side case. This 
could only be ascertained by examining the interior. Our Presi- 
dent intends to see what he can do in revealing the walls of the 
eellules. I intended to bring to the notice of the section last 
year a well-preserved specimen of another Barton Niagara coral 
from the same water-lime band; it was unfortunately mislaid and 
turned up quite recently. The writer has not seen the Niagara 
“* Astrocerium”’ figured and deseribed by the late Dr. James Hall, 
but remembers Sir W. Dawson considered the general appearance 
of the cells fully justified the separation from ‘‘Favosites.’’ Dr. 
Nicholson, in Paleontology of Ontario, holds quite a different 
opinion. * On reference to Miller’s ‘‘ American Paleozoic Fossils,”’ 
you will find he places ‘‘ Astrocerium’’ in the order “‘Zoantheria,’’ 
a sub-order of the family F'avositida. We may view this as a 
sort of compromise. I am perfectly satisfied that many so-called 
distinet species are merely ‘‘varieties.’’ This reminds me that I 
placed in the case containing Niagara Fossils an ‘‘ Atrypa reticul- 
aris,’’ presenting a marked difference to three or four others 
lying beside it in situ—the ventral valve being more puffed out. 
It recalled a still more gibbous and enlarged one of the same 
family, which I extracted from Devonian shale formerly, in Can- 
