128 Geological Gleanings. 



and in some cases from excavations below the high sandy land of 

 cotton fields." 



Professor Leidy's explanation of the occurrence of these remains 

 is as follows : — 



"The interesting collection of remains of vertebrated animals, 

 which form the subject of the following pages, for the most part 

 have been submitted to the inspection of the author, by Professor 

 Holmes and Capt. A. H. Bowman, U. S. A., who collected them 

 from the eocene, post-pleiocene, and recent geological formations, 

 in the vicinity of Charleston, South Carolina. 



"The collections of these gentlemen consist of a most remark- 

 able intermixture of remains of fishes, reptiles and mammals, of 

 the three periods mentioned ; and in many cases perhaps we may 

 err in referring a particular species to a certain formation, more 

 especially in the case of the fishes. The remains usually consist 

 of teeth often well preserved, but frequently in small fragments, 

 more or less water worn ; and most of the fossils are stained 

 brown or black. 



" By far the greater portion of the fossil remains are obtained 

 from the post-pleiocene deposit of the Ashley river, about ten 

 miles from Charleston. The country in this locality is composed 

 of a base of whitish eocene marl, containing remains of squalodon 

 — sharks and rags — above which is a stratum of post-pleiocene 

 marl, about one foot in thickness, overlaid by about three feet of 

 sand and earth mould. 



" The post-pleiocene marl contains great quantities of irregular 

 water worn fragments of the eocene marl rock from beneath, min- 

 gled with sand, blackened pebbles, water-rolled fragments of bones, 

 and more perfect remains of fishes, reptiles and mammals, belong- 

 ing to the post-pleiocene and eocene fossils. 



"On the shores of the Ashley river, where the post-pleiocene 

 and eocene formations are exposed, the fossils are washed from 

 their beds, and become mingled with the remains of recent indi- 

 genous and domestic animals, and objects of human art, so that 

 when a collection is made in this locality, it is sometimes difficult 

 to determine whether the animal remains belong to the formations 

 mentioned or not. Generally, however, we have been able to as- 

 certain where the fossils belong, which we have had the opportu- 

 nity of examining, from the fact that the greater number were ob- 

 tained from the deposits referred to in digging iuto them some 

 distance from the Ashley river. 



