A Nciv Lozvcr Cambrian Fauna. — Bitrr. 41 
A NEW LOWER CAMBRIAN FAUNA FROM 
EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS. 
By Henry T. Burr, Cambridge, Mass. 
There is, at North Weymouth, Massachusetts, an area of 
red slates and impure Hmestones, which have been generally re- 
garded as of Cambrian age. The assignment of these rocks to 
the Cambrian has been based largely upon Hthological and 
structural evidence. The country round about is deeplv 
covered with drift so that rock exposures are relatively few. 
For this reason the structural relations of the Weymouth beds 
to sediments of known age are not clear. The nearest sedi- 
mentary rocks, however, are the Middle Cambrian slates of 
Hayword's creek and Wyman's hill (map localities, 2). 
On the south the red slate series is in contact with granitic 
rocks. According to Crosby* these granites are intrusive into 
the slates. As the granites of the vicinity of Boston are not 
known to be intrusive into rocks of age later than Cambrian, 
this, in itself, is a strong indication that these beds are of that 
age. 
The red, sandy slates of this area are much like the red 
slates of Lower Cambrian age in the vicinity of North Attle- 
boro,t both in Hthological character, and in the extent to 
which they have been affected by secondary alteration. The 
limestone beds resemble portions of the Lower Cambrian lime- 
stone at Nahant. The series, as a whole, is quite unlike any- 
thing in the rocks of supposed Carboniferous age, which lie to 
the north. Thus the Cambrian age of the beds is supported 
by Hthological evidence. 
Various observers;^ have found traces of organic remains, 
Note: — Mr. A. W. Grabau is preparing a paper in which he intends 
to bring together all that is known concerning the Cambrian rocks of 
eastern Massachussetts. It seemed desirable to publish the results set 
forth in this paper before the appearance of the general treatise. For 
this reason it has been impossible to prepare illustrations. The material 
collected will, however, be fully illustrated in Mr. Grabau's paper, which 
is to form part of a volume jjublishcd as one of the "Occasional Papers" 
of the I3oston Society of Natural History. 
*Crosby, W. O., MSS. 
IShaler and Foerste. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Harvard College, vol. 
16, pp. 36-37, pi. II, fig. 12. 
JFoerste, Aug. F. Bos. Soc. Nat. Hist. Proc, vol. 24, 1889, pp. 261- 
263. 
