40 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



named species. 1 A collection rich in minerals from the Sterling 

 iron mine at Antwerp, Jefferson co., has been acquired by pur- 

 chase from R. S. Hodge of Antwerp. This contains many fine 

 specimens of millerite from this locality, an occurrence now fast 

 becoming rare by reason of the closing of the mine; as. well as a 

 highly representative series of crystallized hematite, dolomite, an- 

 kerite, quartz and calcite. A series of pseudomorphs of serpen- 

 tine after garnet was collected from a locality about 2 miles north 

 of Saratoga'. 



PALEONTOLOGY 



Monograph of the Eurypterida. In my report of last year 

 reference was made to this undertaking, which was inaugurated 

 because of the amazing profusion of these extinct creatures in the 

 rocks of this State. No other part of the world has afforded 

 such variety and abundance of these ancient arachnids and our 

 large collections have supplied much exact and unrecorded knowl- 

 edge of their morphology and bionomy. Some time has been spent 

 in the acquisition of additional supplies of material desired before 

 bringing the monograph to its conclusion and about one thousand 

 pounds of specimens were taken from the localities in Herkimer 

 county. 



The localities which have afforded the extensive suites of these 

 fossils are, under present conditions, not accessible and some of 

 them do not promise much for the future. 



1 The celebrated development of the fauna in the Bertie water- 

 limes on the property of the Buffalo Cement Company, seems to 

 be now approaching exhaustion. The eurypterids here have oc- 

 curred in great numbers and splendid preservation, constituting 

 some of the most striking fossil remains in the rocks of the State. 

 Specimens from these quarries became scattered through the mu- 

 seums of the worid, but fortunately before they were too freely 

 dispersed the owners of the quarries determined to keep future 

 discoveries of the kind together in the museum of the Buffalo So- 

 ciety of Natural Sciences, where today the Bennett Collection 

 affords the most extensive series of these fossils from that locality. 

 This occurrence in the waterlimes of Erie county seems to have 

 represented a shore pool where the mature animals resorted for 

 feeding or burrowing, but that it was not a breeding ground is 

 suggested by the general absence of immature remains. 



1 Whitlock, H. P. Calcite from Jersey City, N. J. Fifth Report Director 

 of Science Division, p. 219. 



