



Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas. 205 



notes," published in vol. iii, Pacific Railroad Explorations, p. 

 131. Another example of want of exactness in quotation in 

 Mr. Hill.* 



The Tucumcari region. — It seems superfluous for me to 

 speak again of my researches ; but Mr. Hill's paper obliges me 

 to state more forcibly, if possible, all the facts on which I have 

 founded my conclusions that the Jura exists in this region. 



The only section 1 was able to see and make during my very 

 short stay of only 24 hours, the 21st and 22d of Sept., 1853, 

 owing to the rapidity of our military march, was at an isolated 

 peak west of the Big Tucumcari Mount, which I have called 

 Pyramid Mount. Since the name has been used in the map 

 of Lieutenant A. W. Whipple's expedition, and on my geolog- 

 ical map of New Mexico, its geographical position is well 

 established. I chose that hill on account of its complete isola- 

 tion, and also because,, after looking carefully through a spy- 

 glass at the whole surroundings of Plaza Larga, I thought that 

 the beds seemed better exposed to view and would afford me 

 a good section. In this I was not disappointed, for as soon as 

 I reached the foot of the hill, I had before me a most perfect 

 geological section, almost like a wall, with every bed finely in 

 view and accessible. I took the right side of the wall section, 

 and carefully noted every thing I saw. As 1 have repeatedly 

 published this section, I shall not give it again, only I would 

 say that I did not see any mark of discordance of stratification 

 by break or erosion between the beds of the New Red sand- 

 stone and the Jurassic formation. The bed of blue clay, above 

 the yellow and white sandstone, containing near its base the 

 Gryphcea Tucumcarii and Ostrea Marshii, is fully in view. 

 Before reaching the bed of Gryphcea, I failed to find in the 

 sandstone a single fossil. Above the blue clay with Gryphcea 

 Tucumcarii, 30 feet thick, there is 52 feet of yellowish and 

 white limestone. In this limestone a few G. Tucumcarii were 

 seen, also one or two not well preserved shells of lamelli- 

 branchise. 



I nowhere found the Ammonites (Schlcenbachia) Shumardi, 

 even the smallest fragment. And from the nature of the 

 rubbish (debris) at the foot of the wall of that section, which I 

 examined with great care, I can say, that it is my conviction 



* To finish with misquotations, I give the following' foot note of Mr. Hill's 

 paper, entitled: "A question of classification" (Science, vol iv, No. 103, p. 918, 

 Dec. 18, 1896): "With the exception of Prof. Jules Marcou, who originally 

 maintained that the Middle and Lower Cretaceous of Texas and the Plain Tertiary 

 were Jurassic, and who still maintains the Jurassic age of the Middle Cretaceous 

 beds of New Mexico and the Lower Cretaceous of Texas. This position has been 

 disproved by research." It is sufficient for me to give it without comment, for 

 seldom has an adversary been cited so inexactly or his researches so incorrectly 

 used. 



