Repoet of the State Geologist. 23 



In the spring of 1843 the writer was placed in charge of the 

 Palaeontology of the State, while still retaining his position as 

 State Geologist.* At that time there were practically no collec- 

 tions of fossils available for use in the work, nor appropriations 

 of money for making such collections. There were no artists, 

 either for original drawings or for lithography, and there was 

 very little in the way of books on Geology and Palaeontology. 



Mr. Conrad had estimated that a volume of 1 quarto 

 plates would be required to properly illustrate the fossils of all 

 the formations in the State of I^ew York. After the first year 

 of exploration by myself and personal assistants, covering the 

 entire series, from the Potsdam sandstones to the Chemung 

 group inclusive, it was found that no satisfactory account of the 

 fossils of the whole series could be given in a single volume, and 

 that it would be necessary to confine attention to those coming 

 from the lower rocks. f From that time forward efforts were 

 directed to the preparation of descriptions and illustrations of 

 fossils characterizing the lower division of the ''Kew York sj^s- 

 tem," which appeared in the first volume, published in 1847, con- 

 taining 362 pages and 99 plates of illustration. 



In that volume due recognition was made of the sources from 

 which material had been obtained for illustrating the work. 

 Since that time acknowledgments have been duly expressed, not 

 only to amateur collectors of fossils, but also to professors in 

 colleges and scientific gentlemen generally, both within the State 

 and beyond its borders, for their willing aid in the progress of 

 the work. Without such aid some portions could not have been 

 properly illustrated (as I was compelled to depend solely on my 

 own purse for collections made in the field during the prepara- 

 tion of the earlier volumes). These volumes (I, II, III), there- 

 fore, present a less complete illustration of the faunas of the 

 geological formations to which they refer, than do the later vol- 

 umes, which were published after the State had furnished means 

 for making field collections. 



Volumes I and II should be revised and republished with all 

 the added knowledge of these faunas obtained during the past 

 third of a century. 



♦See preface to Volume I, Palaeontology of New York. 



+ At the end of the first year (In 1844) the question of continuing the Departments of Agriculture 

 and Palaeontology was brought before the Legislature, and an extension of time allowed for the 

 completion of the work, but no appropriation beyond the salaries of the officials was granted. 



