Wing's Discoveries in Vermont Geology. 



The fossils of the western border are found in the south- 

 western part of the valley, just north of an old abandoned mar- 

 ble quarry, the most northern one on the west side of the val- 

 ley, where the rock is grayer than that of the center belt. The 

 rock here is distinctly and abundantly fossiliferous. It was 

 from this place, at a point rather nearer the quarries than the 

 slate, that the specimens were obtained by Mr. Wing which he 

 sent to Mr. Billings, for his examination. Among them, " a 

 small convoluted shell was in crowded abundance," which Mr. 

 Billings said were like Pleurotomaria staminea. A short distance 

 north, crinoidal disks and stems were common ; and among 

 these, Mr. Billings distinguished a plate of Pleurocystites tenui- 

 radiatus, a Chazy species. Mr. Billings adds to his note on the 

 fossils,* " I think this collection is Chazy. The Cystidean, Pleu- 

 rocystites tenuiradiatus, is a never-failing guide to the Chazy ; at 

 least it is so on the west side of Lake Champlain." 



On the eastern border of the valley, just east of the large 

 marble quarries, Mr. Wing states that he " found two large con- 

 voluted shells, with a Murchisonia of moderate size." The 

 limestone of this belt is gray like that of the western. The 

 fossils are, however, much rarer. 



At my visit to West Rutland with Mr. Wing, we went first to 

 the central belt, to a place south of the railroad. The rock was 

 2 found to be, as he had de- 



scribed it, literally full ot 

 fossils. Theu 

 is crowded with white 

 spots, often having the 

 spiral and other forms ot 

 half obliterated shells, 

 besides disks of Crinoids. 

 Some of the shells are 

 distorted Maeturea* 



■ 

 -the well-known Chazy 

 -~ species, and one of these, 

 having the appearance of a white spiral line, is here figured n at HI^ 

 size. Other similar specimens are four inches in diameter. The 



