74 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. I. No. 3. 



thought, the notions of social relation, 

 traced as far into their abstract forms as it 

 was possible for the human mind in that 

 stage of development to conceive and ex- 

 press them. 



This tendency is illustrated hj the titles 

 of some of his latest issues; as, Vorges- 

 chiditUehe ScJidpfungslieder in ihren Ethnischen 

 JElementargedanken ; Zur Mythologie und Psy- 

 cJiologie der Nigritier in Ghdnea mit Beziuj- 

 nahme auf Socialistische Elementargedanhen ; 

 Wie das Volk Denht; ein Beitrag zur Beant- 

 wortung sozialer Fragen auf Ch'undlage Eth- 

 nischer Elementargedanken, etc. 



These writings are all crammed with wide 

 erudition and mature reflection; but, unfor- 

 tunately, the author persists in following a 

 literary stjde of expression which is certainly 

 the worst of anj^ living writer, intricate, ob- 

 scure, sometimes unintelligible to a born 

 German, as one of his own pupils has as- 

 sured me. This greatlj' limits the viseful- 

 ness of his productions. 



D. G. Brinton. 



UjfivEESiTY OF Pennsylvania. 



THE CONNECTICUT SANDSTONE GROUP. 



The attempt to revive the abandoned 

 name of Newark for the older designation 

 of Connecticut, in its application to the 

 Triassic terranes in the Atlantic geographic 

 area, is supported by G. K. Gilbert and op- 

 posed by B. S. LjTnan, in a joint discussion, 

 in the Journal of Geology, Vol. II., No. 1. 

 One would think that the considerations 

 presented by me in the American Geologist, 

 Vol. v., page 201, would have been suffi- 

 cient to sa.tisfy any one looking at the sub- 

 ject judicially and impartially, of the inad- 

 equacy of the name Newark to special 

 recognition. In seeking a name for a ter- 

 rane we should naturally inquire, ^r«i, where 

 is the area which exhibits best the typical 

 features? In answer to this we have the 

 fact that in the Connecticut area the early 

 exploration was the most thorough, the vei-y 



unique occurrence of fossil footmarks was 

 first recognized, and is the onlj' one in which 

 they have been thoroughly studied. At 

 first these were thought to have been made 

 by birds ; but the later suggestion of deino- 

 saurs has been verified by the masterly 

 restorations of Anchisaurus by Prof O. C. 

 Marsh, obtained in the same Connecticut 

 valley. Eeptilian bones were knoAvn als» 

 fi'om Pennsylvania, but no one has ever 

 connected them with the tracks. Thus the 

 feature which characterizes the American 

 Trias is found in its perfection in the Con- 

 necticut and not in the Newark area. Thfe 

 fish are also more abundant in the first 

 named area. The other features of imj^ort- 

 ance are the coal and fossil plants, and 

 these are best developed in a Virginia 

 area. 



Second. It is essential for the suitability 

 of a geographical term, that the locality be 

 one where the terrane should be exhibited 

 in its entirety or maximum. The Connec- 

 ticut valley has the whole series. The city 

 of Newark ' does not contain one-fourth 

 part of the thickness of this sandstone, and 

 that which is visible is only a fraction of 

 this fourth.' This early statement of mine 

 is confirmed by Mr. B. S. Lyman, who says^ 

 the exposures at Newark amount to ' one- 

 tenth or one-twentieth of the beds to be 

 included in the name.' Mr. Lyman has- 

 still later called attention to the probability 

 that the Newark beds belong to the Permian 

 instead of the Triassic. 



Third. The name of Connecticut or Con- 

 necticut river sandstone has precedence 

 over Newark. It was both in actual use 

 before the suggestion of Newark, and was- 

 again proposed and used after 1856 and be- 

 fore 1892, because no one except Mr. Red- 

 field employed the term Newark. The pi'o- 

 posal was never accepted by the geological 

 public. 



In the early days of geology the use of 

 local names was confined to the groups like- 



