BERKELEY, CAL. , MAY t , LPS3. 



DEAR 1 OCT OK, 



YOUKS OF II'TH ULT. WAS IX! LY RECD. i HAVE BEEN SO HARD 

 RUN KITH WORK THAT 1 MUST TAKE SUNDAY TOR LETTER WRITING, AND SOMETIMES 

 LAN HARDLY CET AT IT THEN! 



THANKS FOR LEStiUEREUX' S LETTER/ WHICH I HEREWITH RETL'fRfcl. as I HAH 

 WRITTEN TO HIM I GOT ONE FROM HIM DIRECTLY, NOT LONG AGO, WITH, OF COUR- 

 SE, NOTHING ADDITIONAL. - WHATEVER THAT FOSSIL MAY BE, IT IS AN EXTREME 

 LY INTERESTING ONE GEOLOGICALLY . NO A VESTIGE OF IT0 HAS BEEN FOUND 

 IN THE MODERN ALLUVIUM WHEN EXAMINED BY THE SAMF METHOD IMllUiilA'ftHrLL AS 

 THAT USED lN THE CASE OF THE OLDEK DEPOSITS, Wi.iU; IS THIS: THE SAND 

 OR ClEY -IT IS HARE IN THE LATTER- IS SHAKEN UP OR BOILED WITH WATER 

 IN A TEST TUBE 6 INS. LONG, AND AFTER ALLOWING S5 SEOONLS SUBSIDENCE, THE 

 TURBID WATER POURED OFF DEPOSITS IN SOME CASES CONSIDERABLE NUMBERS OF 

 THIS ORGANISM. THE OPERATION IS THEN REPEATED ON THE ORIGINAL MASS IN 

 THE TUBE, 5 SECONDS LESS OF TIME BEiNG IN SUCCESSION ALLOWED FOR SUBSID- 

 ENCE.. THIS BRINGS THE LARGER FORAMINIFERA ;IN CASE OF MARINE DEPOSITS:, 

 AND THE DIATOMS. EACH SEDIMENT IS EXAMINED SEPARATELY UNDER DIFFERENT 

 POWERS, INVOLVING OF COURSE A GOOD DEAL OF WORK, WHICH MY FRIEND DR. HOP- 

 KINS HAS BEEN DOING FOR ME. 



AS THE MATTER NOW STANDS, .THIS FOSSIL SEEMS TO CHARACTERISE THE DE- 

 POSITS OF THE FEB ODD IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE PRESENT ALLUVIUM, OK WHAT 

 I HAVE CALLED THE F'ORT HUDSON GROUP. IT SEEMS jfepr THAT AT MEMPHIS AND 

 FOR SOME DISTANCE BELOW, THIS AGE IS REPRESENTED , NOT BY CLAYS , BUT BY " 

 MORE OR LESS GRAVELLY SANDS, UNDERLYING THE ALLUVIUM, WHICH EXCEPT IN THE 

 CASE; OF OLD RIVER BEDS, IS RARELY OVER 40 FEET IN DEPTH, AND IS WANTING 

 ALTOGETHER IN A LARGE PORTION OF THE YA 8)0 AND TENSAS BOTTOMS. THIS 

 OLD IE POSIT HAS FILLED THE UEEP TROUGH EXCAVATED INTO THE TERTIARY BY THE 

 DRIFT E'LOODK, IN ONE CASE T« DEPTH OF OVER 2*fl FEET BELOW HIGH-WATER 

 MARK, THE TERTIARY NOT HAfcNG BEEN REACHED AT THAT DEPTH. I HAVE IDEN- 

 TIFIED THE LATTER AS THE OLDe|sT MARINE STAGE, THE LOWE.R CLAIBORNE , AS 

 FAR SOUTH AS LAKE PROVIDENCE. - IT IS FUNNY THAT SUCH AN INNOCENT THING 

 AS THAT • ' SP0RF3iASE ' • , OR WHATEVER IT IS, SHOULD HAVE BECOME EXTINCT BE- 

 TWEEN THE CHAM PLAIN EPOCH AND OURS! - I RATHER GUESS IT MUST BE ALIVE 

 YET IN THE BOTTOM, AND DOES NOT OCCUR IN THE RIVER ALLUVIUM FOR THE SAME I 

 REASON THAT NOTHING ELSE DOES - BEING TRITURATED TO PIECES BY THE EDDYING i 

 SAND, LEAVING ONLY ACTUAL LOGS TO SURVIVE. FROM WHATEVER , CAUSE , THE 

 FACT IS THAT NOTHING RECOGNIZABLE IS LEFT IN THE PRESENT ALLUVIAL DEPOSIT j 



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