b NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



H. P. Gushing; The Naples fauna (fauna with M a n t i c o c e r a s- 

 intumescens) in western New York_, by John M. Clarke- 

 Notes on the early stages of certain Groniatites, by John M. 

 Clarke; Bdine springs and salt wells of the state of New York^ 

 and the geology of the salt district, by D. D. Luther; Faunas 

 of the Hamilton group of Eighteen Mile creek and vicinity, in 

 western New York, by Amadeus W. Grabau; Memoir on the 

 paleozoic reticulate sponges constituting the family D i c t y o - 

 spongidae, pt 2, by James Hall in collaboration with John 

 M. Clarke. 



The late Prof. Orton's bulletin on petroleum and natural ga» 

 was distributed at about the same time. 



The 17th annual report was delivered and distributed in Sep- 

 tember of this year. It contains 564 pages and the following 

 papers: Petroleum and natural gas in wesitern New York, by 

 Irving P. Bishop; Classification and distribution of the Hamil- 

 ton and Chemung series of central and eastern New York, pt 2, 

 by Charles S. Prosser; Stratigraphic geology of the eastern 

 Helderberge^ by Charles S. Prosser and Richard B. Rowe; Lime- 

 stones of New York and their economic value, by Heinrich Ries; 

 Report on the crystalline rocks of the western Adirondack region^ 

 by C. H. Smyth jr; Preliminary report on the geology of Wash- 

 ington, Warren and parts of Essex and Hamilton counties, by 

 J. F. Kemp and D. H. Newland. 



As regards the memoir on the genera of the corals, I shall have 

 occasion to enter somewhat more explicitly into the condition of 

 these investigations, but may here say that substantial progress 

 has been made toward their completion. The very nature of the 

 work, involving cautious and painstaking research and most care- 

 ful delineation, forbids haste or inappropriate dispatch in its 

 execution. 



Division of paleontology- 

 Operations in the field 1899-1900 



Section of the Chemung beds. The season of field work had 

 largely passed at the time of rendering my last report. I had 

 considered it desirable however that a section be made north and 



