New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-07-10


Among the lower Heidelberg rocks the mollrsks, and
especially the hachopods, left their remains most album
dainty and very fully rcprcs' ntcd here a' well "a
several peculiar trilObtcs and cncrn"s. For ten years
Qsi3 to 1850 Prof. Hall hired whole family to collect
for him in the cldcricrSs and the products OF
their searches not less than 10000 specimens Of
one mollusk. the Orhis raricc. The cft-hand figures
above d. g, CrioSpira io,brican Hall, represent
brachiopod whose breathing organs were supported on
c,ciGcd spiral framework within the she'll This dis
coyey is believe. due TO Prof Il. f. Whitfield, now at
work with Prof Hall The skillfu application OF an acid
TO the OF the fossil has removed the solid lime
stone from the interior. but left this framework The
drawing fairly represents the specimen which comes from
the lower Hcldcrhcrg Of Albany County.
Mr. Andrews OF Cumberland. Md, had collected gen
era museum containing variety Of objects that included
even n mermaid, African cockatiice. and a ptero-
dactyl This collection rich in fossils OF Oriskany
sandstone and their sake Prof Hall bought the en-
tire museum, adding 1t to his The O:iskany sand
stone was quaned for building church. but ii proved
too soft material and the experiment not likely to be
repeated. The specimen from these rocks here figured
a. Eenssioeria Maryiandicd Hail. has been subjected to
acid 80 develop its interior skeleton. The genus
was ded, atcd by Prof Hall to Stephen Van Rensselaer,
of Troy ~ " founder of the Rensselaer, Oytcclnc In
stilute.
We might 20 thus step by step. led by the fossils OF
Prof Halls collection, through the Upper Heidelberg
group, the Of corals the Hamilton rich IN brachio
pods and Embellishments; the Portage and CIemung
whence are fishes remarkable marine plants and tr.c
encintc OF noted beauty, Ioeriocri!us OrndmtrtiSSt
mus: the CItsiill rocks aban ilnt in fish remains
especially illustrated by specimens from BlOssburg.
Penn; and the Waverlcy rocks, 80 much like the Che
nuug in their fossils The lower CarbonifcrOus
should find fully represented by an immense variety Of
cncrines gathered from the lmestones OF Burlington
aud Keokuk, Iowa; Warsaw and Chester H.; Craw
louisville Ind St Lous, No: Critenden County, Ky. ;
and Iuntsvillc Ala TIE coal measures we'll illus
trated by land-pan fossils from Pennsy vana, Massa
chusctts Rhode Island Ohio and Illinois, by abundant
mollusks and by fossil fishes from Ohio.
Although the great wealth OF the Hall collection is in
the treasures OF paPozoc periods, II il not deficient in
Illustrations Of the middle ages OF geological life From
Connecticut and NewJersoy collected by Prof Hall and
MIR Siadc in fl there many fishes of the epoch Of
the tras and the of those mysterious imprnis
In the new red sandstone which long believed to he
the tracks OF gigantic birds. but known 10 have
been in many produced By the stride of
saulan reptile largo enough 10 look cght-ra
fence Even as to specimens from the Jurassic rocks
in Europe 50 prolific, in America 80 bare OF
fOssils-tls collection Is not wanting, and fine
examples OF the rcptilian forms. such the
have been obtained from Lyme Ecgls In
gland The cretaceOus epoch il illustrated principally ny
Iuollusks from several localities In NcwJorSey ana Ala
hama and "A very large number OF typical specimens
from The Mourdises Ierros Of Nebraska and there
plnts too OF that OF chalk, from tie Big cottonwood
Valley Minnesota Of which several axe types OF species