140 S. G. Williams — Westward extension of Rocks 



of moderately fossiliferous localities in which have already 

 been found at least fifteen species of fossils, two or three of 

 which are probably unclescribed, though showing apparent 

 Lower Helderberg affinities, while the remainder all belong to 

 the lower members of the Lower Helderberg, and not one has 

 yet been found which is distinctive of the Water-lime. Le- 

 perditia alta, which occurs somewhat frequently in the beds be- 

 low the gypsum in close proximity to Eurypterus, has not yet 

 been found above. Spirifera Vanuxemi, which with Leperditia 

 alta is so abundant in the Tentaculite limestone of Schoharie 

 County, and which occurs in like association in the Lower 

 Helderberg rocks at Put-in-Bay, Ohio, has been found well- 

 preserved about eight feet above the gypsum, at the only point 

 where it has been laid open with a roof of rocks ; and traces 

 of it have also been found at some other stations, one of which, 

 though a somewhat doubtful occurrence, is only about ten feet 

 below the Oriskany sandstone. Strophodonta varistriata and. 

 Rhynchonella semiplicata are tolerably abundant at two or three 

 localities ; Strophodonta planulata ? occurs in a blue stratum not 

 far below the Oriskany, associated with an aviculoid shell prob- 

 ably Megambonia aviculoidea ; and the lamellibranch which is 

 described as Anatina ? sinuata in vol. iii of I^ew York Palaeon- 

 tology, is found more abundantly and better preserved in a 

 bluish limestone near the base of the series than as yet it has 

 been discovered elsewhere. The most abundant fossil is Stro- 

 matopora, which is found near the base of the series and at its 

 very summit, and at two localities a half mile distant from each 

 other forms a large part of a stratum nearly four feet thick. 

 With it is associated occasionally Favosites Helderberg ice and a 

 species of Zaphrentis. Besides these fossils, Nucleospira ventri- 

 cosa and MeristeUa loevis occur very sparingly, the former hav- 

 ing been found at a single locality, and a small form of the 

 latter at two ; and there are also, besides undeterminable im- 

 pressions of a medium-sized Ehynchonella, a Lingula, a large 

 Platyceras, and a branching fucoid which seems to be unde- 

 scribed, as also a curious fragment which may possibly prove 

 to be a longitudinally fluted Orthoceras. Sparing as are the 

 fossils of these rocks, it mayeasily.be seen that they are all 

 Lower Helderberg forms which prevail chiefly in the Tentacu- 

 lite and Lower Pentamerus divisions, with a few somewhat 

 doubtful forms of the Delthyris Shaly Lime. Professor James 

 Hall, who recently made a brief examination of this series of 

 fossils, recognized their character as distinctively Lower Helder- 

 berg. There are however no indications of the subdivisions 

 which make so striking a figure in the eastern part of the State ; 

 nor could these be expected amid such general uniformity of 

 lithological character as here prevails. It is of interest never- 



