172 HOXEYMAX — O:^ IRON DEPOSITS OF PICTOU COUNTY. 



and dark green, purplish, brown and black colours, and giving a 

 white streak. The quartzites are sometimes coarsely granular, but 

 as a rule compact and fine grained. 



''This formation appears quite distinct in lithological character 

 from the series which has been described by Sir Wm. Logan and 

 myself as occurring near the Pictou Coal Field at McLellan's and 

 McGregor's Mountains and at Water's Hill, and which are believed 

 bv Dr. Dawson to be of Devonian age. I made no attempt to 

 obtain fossils in these rocks, nor has any bed been observed likely 

 to contain them at the fevf localities examined ; but it seems pro- 

 bable that the fossiliferous beds mentioned by Dr. Dawson in his 

 Acadian Geology, pp. 568-70 are included in these series. These 

 beds from which a large number of fossils have been collected by 

 Mr. D. Fraser of Spring ville, are of undoubted Upper Silurian age." 



I would observe that the fossiliferous rocks referred to are of 

 the same a2:e as the rocks of McLellan's Mountain, and that the 

 fossils collected by Mr. D. Fraser, and the iron deposits, belong to 

 two different series of rocks, and that the fossils are of undoubted 

 Upper Silurian, and the iron deposits of Middle Silurian age. 



I would here observe that the distinction I make is in accord- 

 ance with the division of the Silurian system made by the Geologi- 

 cal Survey of Canada. In their Geological Map this system is 

 <livided into Lower, Middle and LTpper. It also agrees with that 

 made by Professor Ramsay, Director of the H. M. Geological 

 Survey. He divides the system into Lower, Intermediate and 

 Upper. —Vide Memoir on the Geology of Wales. 



The collection referred to, which I have examined, is from the 

 upper part of the W. side of Anticlinal series, Xo. 1. It includes 

 a considerable number of the Loioer Helderherg fossils contained 

 in my list, and also a few of the Niagara fossils of the same series. 

 Yide Transactions, 1870-71, page 8— Upper Silurian. The 

 Specular iron ore referred to lies in tlie south side of my Anticlinal 

 series No. 4, in the MetamorjMc Clinton., so that it comes to be of 

 Middle or Intermediate Silurian age. I have elsewhere sb.own that 

 this is the age of the strata containing the Limonite, or Brown 

 Hematite which lies in the lower part of series No. 1, i. e. the series 

 producing Mr. Fraser's fossils. 



