PALAEONTOLOGY OF NEW YORK, 



VOLUME VIII, PART II. 



Of the titles of works communicated in my report of last year 

 as being then in progress, the following has been completed : 



Volume YIII, Part 2, being an Introduction to the Study of 

 the Genera of Palaeozoic Brachiopoda, has been completed and 

 published. This volume contains 420 pages with 65 plates, and 

 the text is illustrated by 232 wood- cuts, showing the interior 

 structure and other characteristics of the several genera described. 



Since this volume brings to a close the publication of work in 

 this Department as a part of the series of Natural History publi- 

 cations of the State, I take the liberty of communicating, with 

 this report, the preface as already published. 



PREFACE. 



The present volume brings to a close the publication of the 

 " Palaeontology of New York," as a part of the " Natural His- 

 tory of the State of New York," according to the plan proposed 

 and inaugurated by Governor William H. Seward during his 

 administration, 1839-1842. 



At the time of the organization of the survey the question of 

 publication had not been seriously considered ; the annual reports 

 made to the Governor and communicated to the Legislature were 

 necessarily published in the ordinary octavo document form. 



Hon. John A. Dix, in his report preceding the organization of 

 the Geological Survey, had stated that '' it is supposed that the 

 entire account of the survey may be contained in three octavo 

 volumes of 700 pages each," together with an atlas, which should 

 contain the maps, " with the necessary drawings of fossil 

 remains." This was the only suggestion regarding the final pub- 

 lication of the results of the survey. In November, 1839, the 

 Board of Geologists made a special communication to the Gover- 

 nor, calling his attention to several matters of interest to the 



