Rules and Misrules in Classijicafion. — Marcou. 125 
From Chieo creek, Monte Diablo, to Fort Tejon, the Chico- 
Tejon formation is never seen lying on the Cretaceous system 
of Shasta ; at some places, as at Chico creek and Fort Tejon, the 
two great groups do not exist together, showing that a break 
occurred at the end of the Chico creek formation, while at 
other places, like Monte Diablo and the Coast range south of 
San Francisco, the two great groups appear to lie in concord- 
ance of stratification. Following the rules of classification 
and correlation, we have in California a great system of strata, 
belonging to the Tertiary; a break divides it from the true 
Cretaceous of Horsetown and Knoxville: and another break of 
smaller value makes two subdivisions of the formation. The 
lower one, or Chico creek group, is the equivalent of the Low- 
er Eocene of Europe, and the upper one, or Tejon group, is 
the equivalent of the Upper Eocene, called Oligocene. Over 
it we have, in southern California, at San Fernando, Los An- 
geles, etc., the Miocene, or Molasses of Switzerland, and the 
Pliocene; so we have in California a complete, and most im- 
portant and well developed series of the Tertiary epoch, just 
as in Europe. 
Quaternary or Pleistocene. 
It is hardly necessary to refer to what has been called ''Ter- 
tiary auriferous gravels," by the director of the Geological 
Survey of California, Mr. J. D. Whitney, who went so far as 
to classify all the Quaternary and the glacial deposits of the 
Sierra Nevada in the Miocene and Pliocene. Never before 
nor since, in any part of the world, have the Post-Pliocene or 
Pleistocene strata given rise to such an erroneous classifica- 
tion, based on a wrong interpretation and use of paleontology. 
It is absolutely incomprehensible and inexcusable. 
Conclusions. 
Each time that the rules and true principles of the strati- 
graphic classifications are put aside, progress is rendered ex- 
tremely difficult, and even entirely stopped for a long period 
of years. Generally the observations carefully made by rec- 
ognized practical geologists are accepted; but when passed 
over, as if they did not exist, confusion reigns supreme, and 
lasts as long as the accepted leaders are there to impose their 
wrong views and their glaring errors. It would appear eas}'^ 
for leaders to change their opinion, when shown their falla- 
