I034 The American Naturalist. [November 
limited, in examining this, and in fact all the regions explored in New 
York." The beach within the limits above described was carefully 
examined, and although the tide was high the existence of the out- 
crop was clearly demonstrated. Fully three-fourths of the shingle is 
composed of red sandstone and shale, and at a point immediately to 
the west of the foot of South Avenue there is a portion of the beach 
composed entirely of red clay and decomposed red shale, which is un- 
doubtedly the outcrop described by Mather, although very much 
broken up by the action of the waves and weather. At this locality a 
large flat piece of red sandstone was found containing well-defined 
impressions of some vegetable remains, probably algae. [The speci- 
men was here presented.] There does not seem to be any other 
record in regard to this outcrop since Mather so briefly mentioned it, 
in 1843, ^^d t^is specimen is probably the only Triassic fossil ever 
found in place on Staten Island. These facts should be recorded at 
the present time, as no doubt the shore is destined to be " improved " 
at no very distant date, and then the outcrop will suffer the same fate 
as that of the tremolite at New Brighton and the granite at Tompkins- 
ville. There are indications that the Triassic strata are very near to 
the surface at other localities, especially where a new road is being cut 
through towards Erastina station. Along one portion of this road the 
soil is composed entirely of red clay and broken red shale, similar to 
that upon the shore. 
Mr. Wm. T. Davis read the following letter : 
New York, March 27th, 1889. 
Mr. Wm. T. Davis. 
Dear Sir: — In reading over the proceedings of your society in the 
Standard, you (the proceedings) say there are no natural butternut 
trees on the Island. In the town of Westfield, along a stream known 
as Sandy Brook, there was a natural grove of them extending over 
nearly half a mile; many of them are there probably yet. This 
brook is the head-water of Lemon Creek, which runs into Prince's 
Bay. Part of the trees stood in a wood of my father's ; the brook 
nins in a northerly direction from the Amboy road and crosses the 
Woodrow road. Yours. 
A. WiNANT. 
Mr. Davis presented further notes upon the locality, and exhibited 
some butternuts from the trees referred to. Sandy Brook is quite 
appropriately named. Its course for about a half mile is through a loose 
sandy soil, and in some of the adjoining fields the yellow drift is 
sparingly represented, the sand being particularly free from stones oi 
