REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR AND STATE GEOLOGIST 



il57 



totally destroyed with time; and hence the experiment of electro- 

 typing such casts has been undertaken with complete success. 



The old manuscript record of localities of fossils begun 40 

 years ago had become so overcrowded that the preparation of an 

 entirely new record seemed imperative. This work has been 

 completed, and a copy of the new record, covering about 2000 

 localities for the paleontologic specimens in the museum, is here- 

 with communicated for publication. Its usefulness to the 

 students of paleontology generally, rests in the fact that it is the 

 most complete list yet prepared of the fossiliferous localities of 

 this state. 



Research. During the year the scientific investigations of the 

 paleontologist have been carried forward as other duties per- 

 mitted. Subjects of special consideration and study have been 

 the following: 



The character of the newly discovered Lower Oriskany fauna 

 of Columbia county 



The undescribed Portage fauna of Erie and Chautauqua 

 counties 



The line of separation of the Lower Helderberg group from the 

 strata and faunas beneath it, and the plane of division between 

 the Silurian and Devonian systems 



The composition and origin of the fauna of isolated limestone 

 lenses occurring in the Clinton and Niagara groups of Orleans 

 and Niagara counties 



Tie stratigraphy and contents of the Lower Silurian rocks in 

 the Lake Champlain region 



The correlation of the " Hudson river group " of the upper 

 Hudson valley 



Mineralogy 



In mineralogy the following important pieces of work were 

 accomplished with an expenditure of much careful labor on the 

 part of J. N. Nevius, assistant: relabeling and rearranging the 

 general mineral collection; relabeling and rearranging the collec- 

 tion of gems. 



