﻿Keport 
  of 
  the 
  Director. 
  15 
  

  

  On 
  comparison 
  of 
  observation 
  elsewhere 
  made, 
  it 
  seems 
  

   pretty 
  well 
  determined 
  that 
  at 
  least 
  the 
  upper 
  900 
  feet 
  of 
  the 
  

   Catskill 
  mountains 
  consist 
  of 
  strata 
  belonging 
  to 
  a 
  higher 
  

   member 
  of 
  the 
  series, 
  No. 
  X, 
  or 
  the 
  Vespertine 
  formation 
  of 
  

   the 
  Pennsylvania 
  Survey. 
  

  

  It 
  has 
  also 
  been 
  ascertained, 
  that 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  occur- 
  

   rence 
  of 
  this 
  formation 
  in 
  the 
  Catskill 
  mountain 
  region 
  and 
  in 
  

   the 
  synclinals 
  extending 
  thence 
  to 
  the 
  southwest, 
  it 
  occurs 
  in 
  

   two 
  other 
  synclinals 
  in 
  the 
  western 
  part 
  of 
  Delaware 
  county 
  ; 
  

   and 
  we 
  shall 
  probably 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  it 
  extends 
  into 
  the 
  

   State 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  at 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  points 
  in 
  the 
  south-western 
  

   counties, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  underlaid 
  by 
  the 
  Catskill 
  formation. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  eastern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  strong 
  lines 
  of 
  

   demarcation 
  between 
  the 
  formations, 
  such 
  as 
  may 
  be 
  recog- 
  

   nized 
  in 
  its 
  central 
  portion 
  and 
  elsewhere. 
  Bands 
  of 
  red 
  rock 
  

   occur 
  at 
  the 
  horizon 
  of 
  the 
  Portage 
  group 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  my 
  report 
  

   of 
  last 
  year 
  I 
  communicated 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  a 
  band 
  of 
  gray 
  sand- 
  

   stones 
  with 
  characteristic 
  Chemung 
  fossils, 
  had. 
  been 
  found 
  at 
  

   a 
  point 
  150 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  rocks 
  which 
  were 
  

   essentially 
  non-fossiliferous, 
  and 
  which 
  had 
  heretofore 
  been 
  

   referred 
  to 
  the 
  Catskill 
  formation. 
  

  

  The 
  section 
  measured 
  from 
  Palenville, 
  in 
  Greene 
  county, 
  

   to 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  Pound 
  Top 
  Mountain, 
  gives 
  an 
  entire 
  thickness 
  

   of 
  nearly 
  3,800 
  feet 
  ; 
  the 
  fish 
  remains 
  beginning 
  at 
  a 
  point 
  

   sixty 
  -two 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  section, 
  and 
  continuing 
  for 
  

   over 
  two 
  hundred 
  feet 
  ; 
  there 
  being 
  still 
  3,500 
  feet 
  of 
  rock 
  

   without 
  recognized 
  fossils. 
  

  

  Prof. 
  H. 
  D. 
  Rogers 
  has 
  given 
  the 
  maximum 
  thickness 
  of 
  

   Formation 
  IX 
  (the 
  Catskill 
  formation) 
  at 
  6,000 
  feet 
  ; 
  while 
  its 
  

   average 
  thickness 
  along 
  the 
  Alleghany 
  mountains 
  is 
  given 
  at 
  

   2,000 
  feet. 
  The 
  maximum 
  thickness 
  of 
  No. 
  X 
  (the 
  Vespertine) 
  

   as 
  given 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  author, 
  is 
  2,000 
  feet. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  require 
  further 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  series 
  in 
  the 
  

   region 
  of 
  the 
  southern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Catskill 
  mountains, 
  to 
  

   determine 
  a 
  satisfactory 
  line 
  of 
  demarcation 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  

   formations. 
  The 
  question, 
  however, 
  of 
  the 
  outer 
  limits 
  and 
  

   extension 
  of 
  the 
  Catskill 
  formation 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  

   has 
  been 
  essentially 
  determined 
  by 
  this 
  investigation. 
  

  

  In 
  conclusion, 
  I 
  would 
  beg 
  leave 
  to 
  repeat 
  what 
  I 
  said 
  in 
  

   my 
  Report 
  of 
  last 
  year, 
  viz. 
  : 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  time 
  that 
  similar 
  

   careful 
  investigations 
  should 
  be 
  commenced 
  in 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  

  

  