238 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Chapter 5 

 POST-PLIOCENE FOSSILS OF THE NIAGARA RIVER 



GRAVELS 



BY ELIZABETH J. LETSON^ DIRECTOR OF THE MUSEUM OF THE 

 BUFFALO SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCES 



The post-Pliocene shells in the gravel beds of the Niagara river 

 have long been known, but never before been fully described. The 

 localities at which shell-bearing gravels have thus far been found 

 are Goat island, Prospect park, Queen Victoria park, Muddy creek, 

 whirlpool (both sides of the river), and at Foster's fiats. The shells 

 occur, generally, intimately mixed with the sand and gravel, show- 

 ing that they were transported to the present localities by currents 

 and eddies. The same action, taking place in recent times, may be 

 witnessed at the lower end of Goat island, where the dividing water 

 washes the shells into the pockets and crevasses in the rock.^ 



The following table shows the distribution of these shells in the 

 various deposits, and also where these forms may be found living 

 today. 



NAME OF SPECIES 



c ■ 

 1a 



rt 

 







X 

 X 

 X 

 X 

 X 

 X 

 X 



u 

 a 

 a 



y 



& 



lA 



U . 







G Oh 



<u 

 4; 



3 



a 



.a 

 <u 



Wc 





 >, 



3 



a 



c 



C 



in 



w 

 



U 



03 



C > 



'So'" 

 c 



■> 



2 



u 



c 

 '> 



Gastropoda 

 I Pleurocera subulare Lea 











X 

 X 



X 





2 Goniobasis livescens(Menke) 



3 G. livescensniagarensis(Lea) 



4 G. haldemani Tryon 



5 Amnicola limosa (Say) . 



6 A letsoni Walker 



X 



X 



X 



X 



X 























c 













X 





















7 Bythinella obtusa (Lea) 



8 Pomatiopsis lapidaria (Say). 



9 Valvata tricarinata Say . . 



10 V. sincera Say. 

















h 











X 



X 

 X 



X 

 X 





X 

 X 

 X 

 X 

 X 

 X 

 X 



X 























a 



11 Campeloma decisa Say. . 



12 Limnaea columella Say 



13 L. desidiosa Say 



14 L. catascopium Say ... 













X 



















a 











X 



X 

 X 



X 

 X 

 X 

 X 

 X 



















15 Physa heterostropha Say 



16 Planorbis bicarinatus Say... 



1 7 P. parvus Say . 

























































a Lime lake. 



b Chippewa creek. 



c Living, but not within a radius of 50 miles. 



^I wish to acknov^ledge here my obligations to Prof. Henry A. Pilsbry, 

 Mr Bryant Walker and Dr V. Sterki, for valuable assistance and advice 

 given in the preparation of this chapter. 



^See also Chapter 2, Goat island gravels. 



