THE FIRST NOTICE OF THE PINE GROVE OR 

 FOREST RIVER SHELLHEAP. 



BY F. W. PÜTNAM. 



It iiow seems stränge that any one could for a moment 

 belle ve the great deposits of oyster, clam, quahaug and 

 other Shells along the seacoast, and of the fresh-water clam 

 along our interior rivers, were formed by natural agencies, 

 but fifty years ago they were almost universally considered 

 as natural deposits ; the result of upheaval of ocean beds 

 or aucient beaches. 



Dr. Ducatel, inhis reporton the geology of Maryland, 

 pronouneed the great heaps of oyster shells on the Chesa- 

 peake to be artificial productions, and he seems to have 

 been the first geologist in this country to call attention to 

 their true origin, which he did in the following vvords : — 



" Some of the other agricultural resources of the state, 

 besides those derived from the use of marl, have been 

 already alluded to in the preceding sections. There is 

 one especially, scarcely inferior in value to the marl, con- 

 sisting of extensive accumulations of oyster shells, evi- 

 dently made by the aboriginal inhabitants of the country ; 

 — since they are found to enclose human skeletons, deer 

 horns, tools, coarse pottery, etc., plainly significant of 

 their origin. The accumulations are found in many parts 

 of the eastern shores and their principal localities are laid 

 down in the map." — Report of J. T. Ducatel, State 

 Geologist of Maryland, Dec. 29, 1834. 



These deposits had been referred to by several of the 



(86) 



