86 THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 
Our knowledge regarding the fossils contained in these massive 
building beds amount to very little, since an opportunity is rarely 
afforded of examining the interior. The Pentamerus bed at 
the base, which long ago attracted our attention here within 
the last few years, presented several fossils it was not credited 
with previously, and the limestone layers between it and the 
Stricklandinia beds, known to us hitherto as the barren Niagara 
limestones, have shewn they may now repudiate this misnomer, 
and if we can form an opinion from ill-preserved specimens we 
need not feel surprised at discovering a few more new specimens 
yet in addition to the ones which were recently found at the 
city quarry. ; 
The Niagara shales here seldom display Graptolites worth 
taking ; 
in general the muddy layers crumble away in which 
they are imbedded. This is the more to be regretted since we 
find them more perfect than many obtained from the overlying 
blue building beds or ‘‘ chert.” 
The fossils in question are chiefly obtained in the upper or 
second layer of the former, the Glaciated beds of the latter, and 
the one known to us as the thick Graptolite chert bed. It is 
about six feet from the top at the brow of the escarpment when 
the surface soil, etc., is removed. Owing to the dip of the 
rocks here (about 25 feet in a mile) you must expect to find the 
horizon a little lower as the quarrying proceeds inwards. True, 
you may find an odd specimen at other levels besides the ones 
indicated, but they rarely put in an appearance. I was quite 
surprised to see two at the base of the chert recently. Both have 
been described already. The outlook for the collecting season 
of this year is very discouraging as regards the Medina sand- 
stones and overlying Clinton rocks. Yet the Geological Section 
may be compensated for that by future discoveries, more espe- 
cially in what we call the Glaciated chert Niagaras, rich in 
Graptolites, in Bryozoons and Hexactimelid Sponges, Brachio- 
pods, etc. 
The distant quarry at the head of the Jolley Cut has hitherto 
displayed very few fossils ; that may be to a certain extent, 
owing to the chert beds there being much decayed. © The Erie 
