PALEONTOLOGY 



The field work of the division during the season of 1901 in- 

 volved the study of several special problems, viz: the relations 

 of the fauna of the Ithaca group in central New York; the water- 

 lime strata of Herkimer county and contents; the stratigraphic 

 and paleontologic relations of the Potsdam sandstones of the 

 Lake Champlain basin to the overlying limestones; the limestone 

 reefs in the Clinton beds; the Guelph horizon and its fauna in 

 the section at Rochester and westward; the limestones of the 

 Marcellus stage and the origin of their faunas; the character of 

 the so called Hudson river beds of the northern Hudson valley. 

 In addition to these special problems, the following strati- 

 graphic work was begun and essentially completed, viz: the 

 area! stratigraphy of the Tully quadrangle; ■ the mapping of 

 the Canandaigua and Naples quadrangles. This work has been 

 carried out in great detail for the purpose of demonstrating in 

 how far the topographic quadrangles will serve the utmost re- 

 quirements of our present knowledge. This mapping it is pro- 

 posed to accompany with a paleontologic map on the same base. 

 In cooperation with the United States Geological Survey, the 

 completion of the areal geology of the Olean and Salamanca 

 quadrangles. 



The following work was also done in the tracing of forma- 

 tional contact lines, viz: contacts of formations in the region 

 about the Tonawanda and Oak Orchard creek swamps. 



The last Legislature made a small provision for the excavation 

 of mastodon bones near the village of Monroe, Orange co. 

 These excavations were duly made, and, though the appropria- 

 tion proved insufficient for the completion of the work, about 

 one half of the bones of the skeleton were obtained. 



Outside of the permanent staff of the department, the follow- 

 ing gentlemen have been engaged in the season's work, four of 

 these having volunteered their services: Charles Butts and 

 Myron L. Fuller of the United States Geological Survey, Gilbert 



