Pirsson and Schuchert — Oriskany Formation. 221 



Aet. XVI. — Note on the Occurrence of the Oriskany For- 

 mation on Parlin Stream, Maine / by L. Y. Piksson and 

 Chakles Schuchert. 



The material which is the subject of this communication 

 was collected by one of the writers (L. Y. P.) while traversing; 

 this portion of Maine with his guide, and as Oriskany fossils 

 occur here it has seemed worth while to put this on record and 

 give a list of the species obtained, together with a mention of 

 the exact locality and some additional observations which may 

 be of future service in the study of the geology of this part of 

 the state. 



Parlin Stream is the outlet of Lake Parlin, which lies 20 

 miles southwest of Moosehead Lake, where Oriskany fossils 

 have long been known to occur. 



While the mere crossing of a country which is so heavily 

 forested, as is this portion of Maine, affords little opportunity 

 to gain much idea of its geology, the following facts were 

 observed, in relation to this occurrence. 



The fossils were found in loose, angular blocks of a much 

 indurated shale or shaly sandstone of a dark green to brown 

 color, weathering with a blackish chocolate-brown crust. 

 They are seen on exposed bedding planes of the firmer mate- 

 rial or in more weathered, cavernous, sandy fragments and they 

 constitute a great part of the rock mass, like the so-called shell 

 limestones of other places. These blocks occur on the west 

 side of the large pool immediately below the partly burned 

 lumbering dam, about a quarter of a mile above the falls on 

 Parlin Stream. The locality is about two and a half miles from 

 the outlet of Parlin Lake. This same locality was collected 

 from by Gilbert van Ingen in 1889 (Bull. U. S. Geol. Surv. 

 165, 1900, p. 89). 



The country in this locality is composed of heavily bedded, 

 much indurated, or metamorphosed, strata which have been 

 upturned. At Parlin Falls there is a good exposure of the 

 beds. The falls are made by the stream passing downward 

 over the inclined back of a heavy resistant bed. At this point 

 the strata have a general east and west strike and dip north- 

 ward at a considerable angle, perhaps 45°. P>elow the falls 

 the stream has cut a very respectable canyon, whose exposures 

 should afford a good opportunity for study of the formation. 

 All the exposures weather with the blackish crust mentioned 

 above. 



While the material containing the fossils was not observed 

 in place, it is quite certain from considerations of the local 

 geology seen that it belongs in its immediate neighborhood, 



