l6o JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS. 



local fossils were published many years ago, some in the States and 

 one or two only at Ottawa or Montreal, so we may conclude they 

 are known to very few indeed here. I have frequently mentioned 

 that a knowledge of the fossiliferous beds is absolutely necessary, 

 and it is merely a waste of time in turning over or examining ones 

 that rarely or never display organic remains. It may not be amiss 

 here to mention a grave mistake of mine when the Jolley Cut Road 

 was first opened. I carefully noted the position (in situ) of the 

 different graptolites in the Niagara chert.' The richest layer of rock 

 which contained the largest number of graptolites was noted as 

 occurring exactly six feet below the glaciated chert of the upper bed. 

 It was not unusual to procure seven or eight specimens at the 

 brow of the escarpment (when the road was first opened) in a day. 

 The upper surface of the bed displayed the greater part of these 

 fossils, but we ascertained when the quarrymen worked back a little 

 they were concealed in the interior of the block. This circumstance 

 was revealed by a mere accident. A shot in the corporation quarry 

 shattered the thick flag and a portion of a dictyonema appeared. On 

 dressing it to make the specimens more portable a stroke of the 

 hammer dislodged a part which concealed the complete form 

 (circular in shape) underneath. , But despite the knowledge then 

 acquired, for a considerable time subsequently I made insufficient 

 allowance for the dip of the rocks as the quarrymen worked inward 

 from the escarpment. I feel satisfied a good many graptolites were 

 lost before this inexcusable error was detected. 



I believe both dictyonema elegans and dictyonema gracilis to be 

 very restricted in their range ; both occur in their cherty layers above 

 the main chert bed. I have always found a difficulty in extract- 

 ing them uninjured and I do not remember their occurrence either 

 above or below. 



The free graptolites, namely ones that could hardly have been 

 rooted in the muddy sediment and with no point of attachment ap- 

 parently, are rare and probably not confined to particular beds, I 

 noticed they occasionally turn up quite unexpectedly. Some new 

 species were obtained here since the publication of Dr. Spencer's 

 papers bearing a general resemblance to cyclograptus, and recalling 

 some of the Carnbro Silurian forms already described and figured by 

 Dr. James Hall. Many would look upon them as modified descend- 



