84 J. D. Whitney on the “ Primordial Fauna” in Nevada. 
of the comet. On looking into the telescope with a power of 
200, the star was for about thirty seconds of time so near the 
center of the comet that I should certainly have mistaken it for 
a nucleus but for the spectrum. 
The star did not appear to be dimmed in the slightest degree, 
On this night, and also on Dec. 2d, the comet appeared as a 
nebulous mass about 5’ or 6’ in diameter. It was much 
The comet was barely visible to the naked eye. 
On the 5th, at 6 P.M, 1 
detected a tail about 25 
long, of singular, one-sided 
conformation, which I have 
well-defined, a rectilinear 
streamer of light directed at 
a position angle of about 43 
(i. e., N. 48° E.) from the cen- 
ter of the comet. The other 
edge was curved in the usual parabolic form, but was very faint, 
indefinite and difficult to trace. On the 6th, the straight streamer 
could still be faintly seen, but the comet was so low and the alt 
so hazy that nothing further could be made out. 
The telescope employed in the above observations has am 
aperture of 9°4 inches, 
Dartmouth College, Dec. 8, 1871, 
Art. XIII.—WNote on the occurrence of the “‘ Primordial Fauna” 
mm Nevada ; by J. D. WHITNEY. 
AN interesting locality of fossils has recently been discovered 
by Mr. J. E. Clayton, and specimens have been placed in MY 
hands for examination, through the kindness of Profess0! 
ria LeConte. These fossils indicate most unequivocally 
