STRATIGRAPHICAL GEOLOGY 
157 
or less of a time-significance, and red sediments of indeterminate 
age in the Rocky Mountain region are sometimes referred to as 
the ‘Jura-Triassic^ Red-Beds,” he seems to overlook the fact that 
the only instances of such a course is by the Federal organization 
of which he is a member. Since Mr. Lee is the very person who 
fastened the Jura-Triassic title to the red beds of the Rio Grande 
valley it seems quite unusual that he should now leave it to be 
inferred that by discarding it he is correcting grave errors of oth¬ 
ers., I speak advisedly. In the cases of the reports on the 
Jornada and of the Estancia Plains the term Bernalillo Shales was 
used for these very beds and their Mid-Carbonic age distinctly 
argued for; but in the editing the name was struck out and Jura- 
Triassic inserted — in all places but one. 
The explanatory statement on page 8 is manifestly pre-eminent¬ 
ly true of the work of the Federal Survey, thus far done in the 
region. There has been some very passable outside geologic 
work done in the region, Mr. Lee to the contrary notwithstanding. 
In this connection the investigations of Professor Herrick may 
be noted. ^ 
Although Professor Herrick was primarily a biologist his geol¬ 
ogic work in New Mexico is not without value. The ten years 
which he spent in strictly geologic and mining investigations in the 
Rio Grande valley gave him a strong grasp on the understanding 
of the essential features of the stratigraphy. His descriptions are 
lucid, and his sections are clearly delimited and located. There is 
little difficulty in recognizing on the ground what he described, 
and there is seldom any obscurity as to what he meant. In the 
matter of local geologic nomenclature his conservatism was per- 
' haps too pronounced. In his preliminary notes he steadily re¬ 
frained from publishing new names of formations; and death 
overtook him before his last word was said. It is not strange 
then that Mr. Lee in making a “rapid reconnaissance,” whatever 
that may be, over a line as long as the distance from New York 
to Cincinnati, and over a region infinitely more complicated struc¬ 
turally, should find “in some cases the name has been applied 
apparently to different formations, and in other cases the descrip¬ 
tion of beds and the application of names are too ambiguous to be 
interpretable.” This is far from my own rather extensive experi¬ 
ence in this region. I account for it only in one way. 
