2;o The American Geologist. May, 1901. 
Notwitlistanding all the attacks that have been made upon 
the validity of the term "Quebec Group," and the discussions 
on its significance, it is as truly a natural group or division in 
the succession of paleozoic sediments in eastern Canada to<lav 
as it was in the 50's and 6o's, and the chapters devoted to this 
most important study in the "Geology of Canada" for 1863, 
are replete with wisdom and forethought. 
On several occasions Mr. Billings made extensive collec- 
tions in the Silurian as well as in the Devonian formations of 
Ontario and in the vicinity of Montreal, as can be seen from 
the collections now in the geological department, but the bulk 
of his time was devoted to the determination of geological 
horizons for mapping purposes and the description of new 
genera and species brought in to the department by the va- 
rious field-geologists. Of genera new to science, Mr. Bill- 
ings described no less than 61 and in all described 1,065 "cw 
species of fossil organic remains from various horizons in the 
paleozoic of Canada. He also contributed many papers on 
natural historv and zoology. 
He did much in assisting Sir William Logan to establish 
and build up the geological museum, for, besides the large 
jiumber of new species which he described, he identified as 
many more, from Canada, with forms previously described 
by Conrad, Hall, Emmons, Vanuxem and Sowerby, and other 
paleontologists of America and Europe. 
His writings indicate a clear and precise mind, coupled 
with a rare judgment; they are couched in a phraseology sim- 
ple but to the point. He published upwards of 170 distinct pa- 
pers, memoirs or reports, many of which are now very diffi- 
cult to obtain or entirely out of print. The bulk of his writ- 
ings are embodied in the reports of the Geological Survey of 
Canada, comprising the figures and descriptions of "Canadian 
Fossil Organic Remains," or Decades i, 3 and 4; the "Paleo- 
zoic Fossils." Vol. I, parts i to 5 ; Pal. fos.. Vol. 2, part i ; part 
2 of which last is still unpublished. While residing in Mon- 
treal he ^yas a constant contributor to the Canadian Naturalist,, 
he also wrote important papers for the American Journal of 
Science and Arts, Xew Haven, the Geological Magazine, Lon"- 
don, and the Journal of the Canadian Institute, Toronto. 
He was an indefatigable worker; from early morning till 
