with some sandstone. During this era, land plants be- 
came abundant, fishes swarmed in the seas, and corals, 
crinoids, brachiopods, lamellibranchs and gasteropods con- 
tinued in undiminished numbers. Toward the latter part 
of the era, plants became so abundant as to foreshadow 
the Carboniferous Age, while the large deposits of carbon- 
aceous shale have more than once led to a fruitless search 
for coal. 
THE ORISKANY PERIOD. 
While studying the rocks of the Lower Helderberg 
Period, we sometimes found that they were overlaid by a 
thin deposit of coarse sandstone, which we immediately 
recognized as being different from anything which we 
have as yet met. If the character of this sandstone would 
leave us in doubt as to its identity, a glance at the pro- 
fusion of its fossils ought immediately to tell us that it is 
the first member of the Devonian Age, the Oriskany Sand- 
stone. 
This period has sometimes been referred to the Silur- 
ian Age; in fact, many geologists have at one time placed 
it in the Silurian, and at another time in the Devonian 
Age. This is due to the fact that in some localities its fos- 
sils are related to those of the preceding group, and at 
other localities to those of the following. Since this is 
the case, it will be safe to say that this sandstone forms 
the passage beds between the two ages. At the present 
time, however, the tendency is to place it in the Devonian 
Age. 
The rock is a very rough, dark, and oftentimes rust- 
colored sandstone. Where it has been protected from the 
weather, however, it sometimes occurs as a clear white 
sandstone. Its thickness varies from a few inches to some 
thirty feet. 
The first place where we find this period in our county 
is at the Britton Quarries, three miles south of Syracuse, 
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