THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 129 
fragment. The matrix may be Medina or perhaps Oriskanny 
sandstone. I think it might be derived from the latter, as it seems 
nearer to it. 
Dr. Flemming, a Scotch geologist, a good many years ago 
described a submarine forest extending on each side Flisk Beach, 
on the shores of the Frith of Tay, as follows: ‘It rest upon clay, 
the upper portion of the clay has been penetrated by numerous roots 
charged with peat. The peat bed itself occurs immediately above 
the clay. It consists of leaves, remains of stems, roots of common 
plants, Equisataceze, etc., mixed with leaves, branches of birch, 
hazel and alder probably. Empty hazel nuts are of frequent oc- 
currence. All the vegetable remains are much depressed or flattened 
when they occur in a horizontal position, but when vertzcal they 
retain the original rounded form.” Now the concluding part exactly 
describes the appearance of some of our Silurian specimens here. 
Any way we may learn from the extract that in our present imper- 
fect state of knowledge it would be injudicious to indulge in rash 
assertion and hasty generalization. When I find men positively 
stating “‘all are undoubtedly worm burrows and trails,” as faras I 
am concerned I am opposed to this conclusion. The entire subject 
of these “problematic organisms” requires revision and more ex- 
tended investigation. Iam quite sure our Association would not 
object to loan some of the specimens in our cases to any society or 
individual in Canada or the United States willing to grapple with, 
or endeavor to solve the problem of their true origin. 
I find from an abstract of a paper by Professor Joseph F. 
James, which he kindly sent me, that Lesquereux concluded that 
modern sea weeds seldom retain their structure for any length 
of time. Matthew, however, thought that although they were not 
preserved in sand, they were in clay. Inthe Medina grey-band 
thin sandstone layer or fucoid bed at Hamilton the muddy shale or 
- silt apparently buried them in places or patches before decay, and 
so preserved the impression of several fucoids in this favored locality 
of Hamilton. 
In conclusion I feel papers must necessarily lose more than half 
their interest when not illustrated by wood cuts, photographs, etc. 
No written description can convey the needed accuracy respecting 
