254 Prof. Milne and Alex. Murray — Rocks of Newfoundland. 
semblance. It Las been called by Mr. Murray tlie Intermediate 
Series. These beds are in the main made up of dark-coloured 
slates , 1 some of wbicli are fine-grained and clierty, red and grey 
conglomerates, and various sandstones. There are also some igneous 
rocks like diorite, quartzite and jaspery bauds intercalated in tlie 
series. 
Considering tliat there is good reason for believing that these 
strata are of Huronian age, tliey are reraarkable as containing 
fossils . 2 The fossils are Aspidella terranovica, together with traces 
of organisms like Arenicolites. 
At many points in this Huronian Series, which has a great 
resemblance to the Gold-bearing Series of Nova Scotia, traces 
of metallic ores have been found. Thus on Terra Nova Eiver 
an openiug has been made on a quartz lode containing copper 
pyrites, coursing through a chloritic and calcareous rock. A more 
successful undertaking is, however, to be seen at the La Manche 
Mine . 3 The ore worked is galena, which is associated with blende, 
barytes, quartz, amethyst, and calcite, the latter forming the chief 
portion of the gangue. One side of the lode is bounded by green- 
stone, or more truly an amygdaloidal melaphyre, in the ground mass 
of which there is a large quantity of acicular needles of apatite. 
On the opposite side of the lode we have the black slates of the 
country, but so hardened that they have the appearance of a siliceous 
rock. 
Primordial Silurian . 4 — Lying unconformably above the Huronian 
rocks, and distinguished from them by their fossil contents, we have 
a series of rocks identified by Mr. Murray as the Primordial Silurian, 
1 The type of the System in Newfoundland is in the peninsula of Avalon, where it 
occupies an enovmous area. There are, besides the clay-slates spoken of here, a great 
mass of pale-green felsite slates, which weather of a dingy wkitish colour, with occa- 
sional alternating beds of red slate. I have remarked that, except as interseeting 
veins, lime is very scarce throughout the series as seen in Avalon, and mica almost or 
altogether absent.— A.M. 
2 The Aspidella terranovica and Arenicolites are found in the clay-slates, which are 
pretty high up in the series. They pass immediately below the sandstones and con- 
glomerates of Signal Hill, which appear to be at the summit. — A.M. 
3 Beautiful hand specimens of various ores of copper have been produced from 
many parts of the distribution, chiefly from quartz veins ; but the extent and quantity 
of the ore, in no case I have ever known, seemed sufficient to warrant the requisite 
outlay for opening up a mine. Lead occurs in many localities, usually in calcareous 
veins. The occurrence so frequently of veins of calcite, in a non-calcareous rock, has 
induced me to speculate on their derivation ; which I conceive possibly may have been 
from infiltration into the fissures of the older rock, from the calcareous overlying 
Primordial group, now denuded. 
4 I have a very good Collection of these fossils from many parts of the island. The 
formations are distributed in patches ; one of the best developments being in Concep- 
tion Bay, where the relations to the Laurentian and Huronian are most distinctly 
exhibited. There are also fine developments in Trinity Bay, in St. Mary’s Bay, in 
Placentia Bay, in Fortune Bay, and on the island of Miguelou, from all which places 
I have made large collections of fossils. The series is recognized in Bonavista Bay, 
but not so well developed as at the places named above, and I have not hitherto been 
able to procure any organic remains from them. The base of the series is usually a 
conglomerate, passing upwards into a reddish sandstone, over which are a set of slates, 
which are admirably adapted for roofing slates. Mr. Milne’s description applies 
especially to this latter locality. — A.M. 
