THE NATURALISTS-' COMPANION. 
109 
found and are filled with fossils. It is 
often called the Old Red Sandstone. 
During this age fishes, insects and 
plants become abundant. 
'This age is divided as follows : 
!| Catskill Peiiod. 
j»i-;v( )N I AN 3 Chemung Peri od. 
age. 2 Hamilton Period. 
I Upper Helderberg Period. 
U.^PER HELDERBERG PERSOD. 
d'his formation is found in New York, 
from there it can be traced westward to 
the Mississippi, and is found in Iowa 
and Missouri. It is thickest along the 
Appalachian range. 
This was the period of corals. In 
some places the limestone is nothing 
more than remains of a coral reef. At 
the falls on the Ohio, near Louisville, 
Kentucky, they are very abundant. 
I’hey are found there in all shapes,some 
standing in the position of growth. 
HAMILTON PERIOD. 
This formation extends from New 
York to Michigan and from there to 
the Mississippi river and beyond. It is 
also found in Pennsylvania, some of the 
southern states and Nova Scotia. The 
rocks are mostly sandstones and shales. 
The ORTHOCERATITE is found during 
this period. The goniatite, which is 
somewhat like the orthoceratite, is al¬ 
so abundant. Atrilobite,PHACOPS bufo, 
is a common fossil. 
'Phe earliest remains of insects are 
found in the rocks of this period. 
During this period terre.strial plants 
first became abundant. 
CHEMUNG PERIOD. 
This formation is found in many lo¬ 
calities in New York and Pennsylvania. 
Garnoids were abundant. Scales of 
HOLOPI'YCHINS liave been found in the 
beds of this period which were over an 
inch and one half broad. 
CATSKILL PERIOD. 
The Catskill formation is found in 
the Catskill Mountains, also along the 
Appalachians. Fossils are rare, but the 
scales of fishes and the remains of plants 
are sometimes met with. 
TO HE CONTINUED. 
A WOMDEBFUL PLAJVT. 
\,\ MARRY HARRIS. 
Gn the northern boundary of Siberia, 
the land of perpetual snow, there is 
found a remarkable plant, or rather 
flower, which springs from its own com¬ 
posite atoms on the first day of each 
year—as if to celebrate the birth of an¬ 
other twelve months—and grows to the 
height of three feet, blossoms on the 
third day, and remains in bloom for the 
brief period of twenty-four hours, at the 
end of this time it desolves itself into 
its own original element—the stem, 
leaves and flowers being of the finest 
and purest of snow. 
The stalk of this marvelous phenom¬ 
ena of the snow is one inch in diameter, 
The leaves, which are three in number, 
and in the broadest part are only an 
inch and one-half in width, are covered 
with infinitesimal cones of snow. The 
leaves only grow on . one side of the 
stalk, to the north, curving gracefully 
in the same direction. This fro.st flower 
when fully expanded is in shape a per- 
fict star. The petals are two inches in 
length, one-half inch wide at the broad¬ 
est part, and taper sharply to the point. 
They are also interlaced with the others 
in a beautiful manner, forming the most 
delicate, most wonderful basket of frost 
work that can be conceived. The seeds 
of this flower of the snow are the size ol' 
a pinhead, and are to be found on the 
third day after the flower has sprung up, 
on the extremities of the anther, tremb¬ 
ling and glittering like diamonds, 
'Phis plant, which if it is touched, im¬ 
mediately falls to pieces, was discovered 
in 1863 by Count Swimskolf, the emi¬ 
nent Russian naturalist and botanist, 
who was enobled by , the Czar on ac- 
('.011 n t of his d iscovery, 
