ANNUAL REPORT-EARLY INVESTIGATIONS. 
65 
Rock specimens collected by Wilcox enabled Professor 
Angelo Heilprin to determine in 1882 definitely the ex¬ 
istence of a nummilitic limestone in Florida. The speci¬ 
mens examined were taken from the neighborhood of 
the Chesehouiska River about four miles from the coast. 
The nummulites were associated in the specimens ex¬ 
amined with recent land and fresh water shells. The 
presence of the genus Orbitoides } however, leads to the 
conclusion that the formation represents the European 
nummulitic either Eocene or Oligocene (80.) 
Professor Alexander Agassiz’ bulletin on Tortugas and 
the Florida Reefs appeared in 1883 (1). Agassiz’ in¬ 
vestigations led him to the conclusion previously stated 
by Hunt that the Florida keys had been elongated west¬ 
ward due to the return eddy-current of the Gulf Stream, 
This return eddy-current was found to carry an abun¬ 
dance of food supply for corals. 
Professor Joseph LeConte in 1883, following the 
appearance of Agassiz’ bulletin, recognizes that the sedi¬ 
ment forming the foundation of the Florida keys could 
not have been deposited by the Gulf Stream. On this 
point he accepts the conclusion of Hunt and A. Agassiz 
that the sediment is of organic origin. In view of the 
investigation of Smith on the Geology of Florida. 
LeConte conceded also that the process of addition of 
land to Florida by the combined agencies of the Gulf 
Stream and corals could not have commenced north of 
the north shore of the Everglades (119.). 
Two papers relating to Florida were published by 
Hteilprin in 1884. In the first of these (81), this writer 
gives further reasons for regarding the Florida limestone 
as of Vicksburg age and for accepting Conrad’s reference 
of the Vicksburg limestone to the Oligocene. In a, sum¬ 
mary of the geology of Florida in this paper, Heilprin 
repeats his observations of the occurrence of nummulitic 
rock along the west coast, and reviews the additions to a 
knowledge of the geology of the State contributed by 
Professor Smith. This paper contains a map (in colors) 
5-GeoRep-l 
