54 THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 



green color, indicating iron (in solution probably), mineralized the 

 plant. The greenish matter is not unusual in similar organic 

 remains in the Niagara Chert beds, as you may see in the Fucoids 

 here produced. It is so in the Clinton Iron Band also. While 

 a io^N we possess were admired for their state of preservation 

 by the late Drs. J, Hall and Newberry, they expressed regret that 

 some of the plants described as discovered here had not been 

 retained for our own Museum. For several years the writer has 

 visited, during the collecting season, places where their occurrence 

 had been noted previously ; but merely a few were obtainable. 

 The Medina Grey Band, east of the city, has been worked out as a 

 paying quarry. Even the one near the Hamilton main reservoir, 

 which held seven or eight distinct Fucoids in former times, for years 

 has been abandoned. So we may conclude there is little chance of 

 replacing the plants, etc., of the series which were sent from here 

 formerly. 



By examining the heaps of rubbish of the series left by the 

 stone cutters, only a few well-known specimens were found, and 

 nothing new turned up. An imperfect fragment of one of the 

 branching cylindrical Fucoids mentioned by Dana as occuriing in 

 the States, is here represented also. The thread-like form which 

 came under his observation may have been passed unnoticed, but 

 an intermediate is certainly represented in the grey band of Ham- 

 ilton, which probably has not been described or figured as yet. A 

 small bushy plant was remarked some years since on a slab which 

 had been exposed to weathering for some time before its removal 

 from other, and was afterwards carried away for building purposes. 

 Unfortunately some boys were looking on and saw me put it aside. 

 On returning to extract it with the chisel the following day, I found 

 the young rascals had in the meantime been up to mischief, as 

 usual, and had completely destroyed the specimen, the only one of 

 the kind I ever saw. We have quite a number of Fucoids about 

 Hamilton which I think have never been described or figured. It 

 is to be regretted this class of organic remains has been greatly 

 neglected. One can merely form an opinion on it from outward 

 general appearance. Many Fucoids have been forwarded from this 

 to various Museums, but I doubt whether any Palaeontologist has 

 described a single specimen yet, except a very fine one from the 



