36 JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS. 



dead languages which seldom are of any use in after life ? To the 

 scientific student now a knowledge of such languages as French and 

 German is almost indispensable. As our President has not yet 

 received the concluding portion of Prof. Rauff's great work on "Fossil 

 Sponges," it may not be considered advisable to give at present an 

 imperfect list of our Niagara-Hamilton forms until all are figured 

 and described. In our museum cases you may notice a Globular 

 Sponge, which I pointed out to Dr. Head, of Chicago, recently; the 

 outer surface is covered with minute pores, with larger ones inter- 

 spersed somewhat irregularly. While in shape it corresponds with 

 Bolastronia granti (Head), the star-like markings appear to be 

 altogether absent. It seems more than doubtful, therefore, if it 

 comes under this Nov. Gen. The specimen in the case is the only 

 one found here as yet. 



While I feel assured that many of the Glaceated Chert, Flint- 

 flake Fossils, CladoporcC, etc., remain undescribed, perhaps it would 

 be better to omit allusion to them until such a time as some one can 

 be found to make such obscure fossils a particular study. 



During the past season very few sponges or sections of sponges 

 were obtained in the field on the escarpment beyond the Reservoir ; 

 the chert lumps have not had, as yet, sufficient time to weather, and 

 in the ones nearer the city and better known, few are left that are 

 worth removal. The flint-flake localities near the corporation drain 

 proved also rather disappointing. The conditions, however, were not 

 as favorable as in previous years ; there was greater difficulty in find- 

 ing specimens owing to the nature of the crop ; if the stubble is long, 

 for instance, or clo\ er laid down to replace oats, etc., it is exceedingly 

 hard to pick out organic remains at all. 



A few Gasteropods (sea snails), scarcely so well preserved as to 

 admit of description ; a large and fine Crania, like one found several 

 years ago, which was either sent away or lost in removing ; and a 

 small Subulites, sums up nearly what the flint-flake fields afforded us 

 last season ; however, it may be remarked, that it was necessary to 

 devote more time than usual in order to furnish Dr. Gurly with as 

 complete a collection of the Niagara Graptolites as were obtainable 

 here, in order to enable him to complete his Monograph. These 

 ancient Sertularian remains (duplicates in some instances), were for- 

 warded, not only to the Geological Survey Office, Ottawa, but likewise 



