﻿88 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  region 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  rock 
  shelves 
  bordering 
  the 
  river. 
  They 
  are 
  well 
  

   known 
  to 
  the 
  populace 
  as 
  '' 
  fish 
  bones 
  " 
  which 
  they 
  indeed 
  

   much 
  resemble 
  when 
  broken 
  through 
  the 
  middle. 
  Also 
  two 
  species 
  

   of 
  large 
  Endoceras, 
  distinguished 
  by 
  Hall 
  as 
  Endoceras 
  

   1 
  o 
  n 
  g 
  i 
  s 
  s 
  i 
  m 
  u 
  m 
  and 
  E. 
  multitubulatum 
  are 
  frequently 
  

   seen 
  to 
  attain 
  several 
  feet 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  half 
  a 
  foot 
  in 
  diameter. 
  

   Gonioceras 
  anceps, 
  readily 
  recognized 
  by 
  its 
  lyre-shaped 
  

   septa, 
  is 
  rarer 
  and 
  Lituites 
  undatus, 
  another 
  of 
  the 
  char- 
  

   acteristic 
  cephalopods 
  of 
  the 
  formation 
  is 
  also 
  less 
  frequently- 
  

   observed. 
  There 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  fairly 
  large 
  fauna 
  of 
  brachiopods 
  and 
  gas- 
  

   tropods 
  present, 
  which, 
  however, 
  has 
  been 
  generally 
  lost 
  sight 
  of 
  

   since 
  the 
  fossils 
  are 
  hard 
  of 
  extraction 
  in 
  the 
  massive 
  rock 
  and 
  

   inconspicuous 
  in 
  comparison 
  with 
  the 
  large 
  cephalopods. 
  This 
  

   smaller 
  fauna 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  been 
  described. 
  

  

  Physiographically 
  the 
  Leray 
  and 
  Watertown 
  limestones 
  form 
  by 
  

   far 
  the 
  most 
  striking 
  feature 
  of 
  the 
  region. 
  Their 
  massiveness 
  and 
  

   hardness 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  both 
  the 
  underlying 
  typical 
  Lowville 
  

   limestone 
  and 
  the 
  overlying 
  shaly 
  Trenton 
  beds 
  cause 
  them 
  to 
  form 
  

   a 
  distinct 
  plateau 
  or 
  terrace, 
  rising 
  with 
  a 
  frequently 
  vertical 
  escarp- 
  

   ment 
  from 
  the 
  Lowville 
  exposure. 
  This 
  escarpment, 
  however, 
  does 
  

   not 
  present 
  the 
  straight 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  Helderberg 
  cuesta 
  but 
  is 
  deeply 
  

   indented 
  or 
  composed 
  of 
  many 
  parallel 
  ridges 
  separated 
  by 
  about 
  

   equally 
  wide 
  valleys, 
  and 
  stre-ching 
  in 
  fingerlike 
  groups 
  for 
  miles 
  

   upon 
  the 
  Lowville 
  plain. 
  These 
  fingers 
  are 
  especially 
  well 
  seen 
  on 
  

   the 
  map 
  northeast 
  of 
  Limerick, 
  and 
  west 
  of 
  Perch 
  river. 
  They 
  rise 
  

   abruptly 
  from 
  the 
  Lowville 
  plain 
  while, 
  the 
  intervales 
  rise 
  more 
  

   gradually 
  to 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  Watertown 
  limestone 
  plateau. 
  The 
  di- 
  

   rection 
  and 
  form 
  of 
  these 
  fingerlike 
  erosion 
  ridges 
  and 
  their 
  rela- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  the 
  prevalent 
  direction 
  of 
  jointing 
  in 
  each 
  special 
  case 
  sug- 
  

   gest 
  that 
  they 
  originated 
  from 
  ice 
  plucking 
  between 
  especially 
  deep 
  

   and 
  wide 
  joints. 
  

  

  The 
  Watertown 
  limestone 
  plateau 
  is 
  in 
  comparison 
  to 
  the 
  small 
  

   thickness 
  of 
  the 
  formation 
  abnormally 
  wide 
  and 
  the 
  Watertown 
  belt 
  

   correspondingly 
  broad 
  on 
  the 
  geological 
  map. 
  This 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  the 
  Trenton 
  rocks 
  are 
  Httle 
  compact 
  and 
  were 
  easily 
  swept 
  

   off 
  the 
  massive 
  Seven 
  foot 
  tier 
  by 
  the 
  ice. 
  The 
  latter 
  forms 
  thus 
  tlie 
  

   surface 
  rock 
  over 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  area 
  and 
  is 
  in 
  many 
  places 
  swept 
  clear 
  

   of 
  soil. 
  This 
  fact 
  and 
  the 
  many 
  deep 
  joints 
  make 
  it 
  a 
  very 
  poor 
  

   underground 
  for 
  agricultural 
  purposes, 
  and 
  the 
  plateau 
  is 
  there- 
  

   fore 
  frequently 
  wooded, 
  especially 
  so 
  the 
  jagged 
  and 
  deeply 
  jointed 
  

   boundary 
  region 
  along 
  the 
  Lowville 
  belt. 
  Even 
  small 
  brooks 
  have 
  

   frequently 
  formed 
  deep 
  solution 
  and 
  erosion 
  ravines 
  in 
  this 
  forma- 
  

  

  