JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS. 57 



York, vol. 7, " Palaeontology," by James Hall (received from the 

 author some years ago), one sees figured groups of isolated annelid 

 tubes cemented together (Tentaculites) and attached usually to 

 other organisms of the Hudson River rocks. It may not be gener- 

 ally known this may be noticed here also. The groups of three 

 cemented tubes are of frequent occurrence on the face of a large red 

 Clinton flag, and also on a green one ; but in no instance were they 

 found attached to foreign bodies. It could not have been for want 

 of material, for both flag contain very numerous specimens of Orthis 

 (Rhipedomella) Circulus (Hall), as also a few oi Leptana^Strophometia 

 Rhoviboidalis). It appears strange that the Tentaculites of the Clinton 

 here are never discovered cemented to shells or corals. A fine slab 

 containing several characteristic fossils of the rock series was recently 

 placed in an upper case of the Museum, but at best our local collec- 

 tion is sadly deficient, and rare fossils poorly represented, in a great 

 measure owing to the limited extent of the exposure near the city, its 

 abandoned quarries, and the action of the Grand Trunk Railway 

 authorities in prohibiting researches along the track. It must be 

 admitted also that large numbers were sent away from Hamilton 

 before the Museum was finally established. The grass has long since 

 grown over the heaps of shale, removed by the quarrymen to get at 

 the Medina sandstone beds. They were particularly rich in lower 

 Clinton remains, especially after heavy rains. 



The discovery of the long curved coral, resembling Zaphrentis 

 so low down in the Niagaras, reminds me of the well preserved spe- 

 cimens of ZTa/^i'//^^ Catenulatiis (\JvciTi) which I obtained formerly 

 from the long since abandoned quarry, near the reservoir, in a mass 

 of Clinton shale. On mentioning the matter to Mr. A. E. Walker, he 

 informed me he also had secured a specimen of that coral, together 

 with others (Favosites) from shales removed by quarry men when 

 uncovering the Medina freestone. His description exactly agreed 

 with the ones found by the writer. The individual corallites were 

 smaller, the meshes of the network differing also somewhat from 

 the coral so abundant in the limestones {Niagara) of Anticosti and 

 Ontario. It appeared to be dwarfed by uncongenial surround- 

 ings ; nothing else but a mere variety. One thing we learn from it, 

 to which the writer already called attention, viz., that Silurian corals 

 could exist and flourish under conditions which would be fatal to 

 our modern reef-builders. 



