Fauna of the Niagara and Upper Silurian JRocJcs. 121 



Principal among the Brachiopods are the Osoitcs conradi, 

 Spirifer nobilis, Spirifer plicatella, Strophodonta paofunda^ Pen- 

 tamarella ventrecosus, Pentamarus ohlongus. In an inspection 

 of the fossils of Eastern Wisconsin, it is naturally expected by 

 every votary of natural science, that an identity of fossiliferous 

 bearing rocks should be established with some age or period. 

 ' But it appears from the published expressed opinions of those 

 appointed to execute the geological state surveys, that there are 

 many complications and difficulties intervening, in localizing, in 

 accordance with established rules and methods, definite ages and 

 periods, for the strata of rocks as exhibited in Eastern Wisconsin. 



In 1862, the first plausible or rational theories were published 

 by Wisconsin legislative enactments concerning the parallelism of 

 New York paleontology, with the same fossiliferous bearing rocks 

 of the northwestern states, — more particularly the eastern por- 

 tions of Wisconsin, — especially Milwaukee, Eacine and Wauke- 

 sha counties. 



Notwithstanding the conclusions reached were far from satis- 

 factory, still some system was established, which enabled the 

 student of Paleontology to profit by his investigations, and may 

 have been the means of stimulating such inquiries and experi- 

 ments, as resulted in establishing a great commercial and profita- 

 ble branch of industry, which may give to Milwaukee a reputa- 

 tion for hydraulic cement products, second to none in the Union, 

 and eventually first in the world. 



No doubt this most gratifying success was accomplished through 

 the suggestions and persevering investigations of the late Dr. I. A. 

 Lapham, one of the chief pioneers of natural history. 



SCIENCE Ilsr WISCONSIN. 



Yet, a certain amount of credit is due to the Superintendent of 

 the Geological Survey of Wisconsin (Prof. James Hall) of 1862, 

 for the opinions he expressed in that work, and also for the theo- 

 ries similarly advanced in Yol. Ill, Paleontology of New York, 

 and part 3d, Paleontology of Wisconsin, 171, in the introductory 

 chapters, having reference to the h^'draulic cement character, of 



