; 
MIDDLE CAMBRIAN, AT STISSING, N. Y. 108 
4 . 
of the Upper Cambrian, or Potsdam limestones, stretch- 
ing through the western part of the county ; also the oc- 
currence of both limestoneand quartzyte, containing fos- 
sils, of the Lower Cambrian or Olenellus horizon, which 
Strata are apparently abundant, though confined to the 
flanks of the gneissoid ranges forming conspicuous fea- 
tures in some parts of the county. 
Recent work enables me now to add another page to 
the Cambrian history of this vicinity, and a page of no 
small interest to geologists. 
_ About one-third of a mile south of Stissing station, on 
the New York and Massachusetts Railroad, there is alow 
cut through a ledge of massive arenaceous limestones, 
alternating with calcareous shales. In July, 1887, fossils 
were found in some of the loose limestone débris in this 
cut. They were too imperfect to identify thoroughly, but 
were supposed to belong probably to the Potsdam. In 
the summer of 1888, since fossils proved to be exceed- 
ingly scarce throughout the northern part of the county 
in these limestones and calcareous shales, a more careful 
search was made in this cut. The greater part of the 
ledge yielded no results, but at last a thin fossiliferous 
layer was found near the ground, and very close to the 
railway track, not far from the southern end of the cut, 
‘and on the west side. 
Roadmaster Joseph D. Neal very kindly put at my 
disposal a gang of the railroad employés to make the 
necessary excavation. Mr. Palmateer, who has charge 
of this ‘‘section,’’ rendered very efficient service in con- 
ducting this work, and showed much skill in detecting 
fossils. The organisms discovered proved to be highly 
important in their stratigraphic relations, as well as in- 
teresting in themselves. They are all new and unde- 
scribed species, except one; but their character shows 
clearly that the rocks in this cut belong to the Middle 
Cambrian or Paradoxides horizon. This is the first time 
58 
