LONG-ISLAND DIVISION. 
261 
It is entirely unnecessary to specify localities of sand on Long island, as this material is 
found abundantly on every square mile of the whole island, even under the salt marshes. 
Those more rarely seen, as the black iron sand, and the red garnet sand, are found more or 
less abundantly on every beach, after a storm. The sands, important in determining the geo¬ 
logical position of particular strata, have been generally alluded to, in discussions of the local 
geology of the island. 
The same remarks will also apply to the beds of gravel and pebbles, except that they are 
not so frequently seen, are more or less local, and generally are below the natural surface of 
the ground. 
Ochreous clays have been mentioned. A locality of ochreous earth occurs on the road 
from Easthampton to Montauk point, east of Nepeague beach. It appears to be very abun¬ 
dant, and may be usefully employed perhaps for the manufacture of ochre, or to mix with 
iron ores in smelting. 
Columnar argillaceous iron ore was observed by Dr. Samuel L. Mitchill, on his farm in 
Plandome, Long island, and described by him,* It seems to have been a concretion of a 
flattened ovoidal shape, two feet five inches broad and four inches thick in the middle, dimi¬ 
nishing in thickness toward the edges. When lying in its native bed of heavy loam, the 
columns, which presented their ends to view, had the appearance of a tessellated pavement, 
only the columns were pentagonal in form. The ends were most perfect, and about one and 
a half inches across. When raised and separated from the mass, they were found to be 
larger at the ends than in the middle, so as to bear some resemblance in form to the pestle of 
a mortar.f 
I have seen specimens of similar character, among the loose masses of iron ore washed 
irom the cliffs. They rarely assume the form mentioned, but more frequently one in the form 
of nodules or flat masses. 
Fossils of Long Island. 
1. Bones. 
At the brick-yards on West neck, Huntington, bones and shells are said to have been found 
in the clay; but the person who communicated the information, said it in such a way, as to 
lead me to distrust his sincerity. 
At Brown’s point, Southold, I was told that a bone was dug from the sand-bank, about 
twenty feet below the surface, between two layers of clay. It was said to be white, about 
eighteen inches long, two inches diameter, with large roundish heads. 
* Medical Repository, 1799, Vol. 2, p. 219. 
t At the time of this discovery by Dr. Mitchill, the question as to the aqueous or ig;neous origin of trap rocks was not settled, 
and two parties discussed the question with much warmth. Everything having any bearing on this subject was urged by one or 
the other party, to support their peculiar views. Dr. M. in consequence of the similar form to the columnar form of basalt, urges 
this example as settling the aqueous origin of trappean rocks. 
