GEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY OF THE SCHOHARIE VALLEY 139 



plications which however may become faint or even wanting in 

 some individuals, which then resemble S. pseudogaleata 

 [fig. 74]. 



Besides the species mentioned, which may be regarded as the 

 diagnostic fossils of this formation, there are a number of other 

 brachiopods, as well as trilobites, which, however, are also 

 found in the New Scotland. These are all listed in chapter 7. 



New Scotland beds 



Delthyris shaly limestone ; Oatskill sbaly limestone ; 

 , Lower slialy limestone ; of various authors 



This formation, which immediately succeeds the Coeymans 

 limestone, is not so well exposed in the Schoharie region as it 

 is in other parts of the Helderberg escarpment. This is due to 

 the fact that the rock weathers readily, and hence forms soil- 

 covered slopes, which are commonly utilized for grazing pur- 

 poses, being in most cases too steep for profitable tilling. Hop 

 and grain fields are however by no means uncommon on this 

 rock when its outcrops form gentle slopes. More continuous 

 and satisfactory outcrops of this formation are found in New 

 Scotland township in Albany county which has given the name 

 to the formation, and at Becraft mountain in Columbia county 

 and Kondout in Ulster county. 



In the Schoharie region as in most places along the Helderberg 

 escarpment the Coeymans limestone grades upward into the 

 New Scotland beds and it becomes difficult to draw the line 

 between the two formations. The upper Coeymans beds grad- 

 ually become more thin bedded, and impure layers containing 

 much argillaceous and silicious material make their appearance. 

 These gradually increase in proportion till there remains but 

 a comparatively small portion of the limestone. At intervals 

 hard calcerous beds appear which generally crop oat on the hill 

 slopes, but for the most part the rock seems to disintegrate 

 readily and form clays. These disintegrated masses may often 

 be seen along the roadsides and form interesting sources for 

 the -collection of weathered-out fossils. The more resistant 



