1886.] Fish Remains & Tracks in Triassic Rocks at Weehawken. 243 
FISH REMAINS AND TRACKS IN THE TRIASSIC 
ROCKS AT WEEHAWKEN, N. J. 
BY L. P. GRATACAP. 
Pe indurated and fissile shales that crop out beneath the 
superimposed masses of trap rock along the western bank 
of the Hudson river at Weehawken, Gottenburg and neigh- 
boring localities, have been frequently explored for fish remains. 
Their unequivocal position as Triassic slates, and the interesting 
developments made by I. C. Russel at Boonton, N. J., some years 
ago, in beds of an identical character, stimulated collectors to 
hunt here for similar fossils. As far as I know there is no pub- 
lished account of any success met with in the search, or indeed 
an account of any kind. Estheria in compressed and almost 
obliterated patches have been taken out, but the fish beds kept 
discouragingly out of sight. Mr. F. Braun, of this city, has 
recently revealed a large number of fish remains in the slates 
referred to, and has most successfully extracted specimens of 
considerable beauty. These specimens comprise almost whole 
fishes and numerous instructive fragments, while a few plant 
remains, tracks and rippie-marked blocks from the underlying 
sandstone have given to his discovery a more comprehensive 
interest, 
In general the locality established by Mr. Braun is about 800 
feet south of the mouth of the tunnel of the N. Y. W. S. and 
Buffalo Railroad, which pierces the trap ridge known as Palisade 
mountain, a long exposure of basalt limited by Professor Cook as 
follows: “It may be said to start near the Highlands west of 
Haverstraw, in Rockland county. The range is continuous to 
Bergen point. It reappears south of the Kill von Kull on Staten 
island, and finally disappears near the Fish Kills. Its total length 
hn Ladentown, N. Y., to the Staten Island sound, is fifty-three 
miles,” 
Mr. Braun commenced his quarrying in a bed of slates directly 
underlying the trap rock which rises in perpendicular walls far 
above it, and found his fish and plant remains restricted to a nar- 
row layer of from three to four inches in thickness, and towards 
the base of the entire slate bed. An examination of the ledge, 
of which this bed formed a member, showed a succession of slate, 
vo 
L. XX.—NO. III 17 
