Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-26

indicate the geologiy period in which
the beds containing them were formed.
Each fossilferous rock bed contains
characteristic forms or groups of forms
that determine the period in which it
was mud or sand. Former Director
Powell of the United States geological
survey once tersely explained 10 a con-
gressional committee the value of pale
ontology by saying that it is "the ge-
ologist's clock" by which he tells the
| time when rock beds were formed. Nat
orally, paleontoloSy shows also the or
der of succession and therefore the re-
latiun Of the rock beds studied by the
geologist.
The economic Importance OF paleen
tolcey has been repeatedly shown i'll
this country. In the earlier eXploita-
ton of antlrocite coal thousands OF
dollars were fraitlessly expended In
New York in search Of coal beds. until
the New York biologists showed that
Tie beds in that State could contain no
coal The fossils in the rocks exploited
are deVonian, whereas the fes<ils of the
Pennsylvania anthracite coal beds be
long 20 the carhoniferous, much later
a useless expenditure of money. The
fossils of these rocks were not of
merely acadt ME interest they We're
OF immediate practical Importance. The
key to the problem was found by de-
terming the stratgraphic position or,
IS il is called. the geologic horizon
of the fossils and the rocks.
Rock beds that We're originally nearly
horizontal become in time tilted or
even overturned. SO that the original
relation OF the beds my he difficult 10
determine. Furthermore. the rock beds
at any enc place do not represe mt
continuous series OF deposits, for as
mos, beds were laid down n water and
as sea bottom may have become land
and afterWard again become sea bottom
the story OF the rocks is not every
where clear In times o. doubt and per-
plexity the geologist therefore turns to
the paleontologist for light on the age
and original order of the beds he is
studying. The study Of the animal and
plant remains that are embedded in
the rocks has thus become an import
emit part of geologic work. and although
those who are engaged in this study
are few ana are rather poorly paid fer
their services, their work is of high
importance.
One of the latest contributions to the
science of paieontoiogy is the United
States geological surveys monograph
81, "Cambran Brachiepoda, by Chas.
d. Walcott formerly director of the
survey and now secretary of the Smith
sonian Institution The brachiopodS
were formerly classed with the mul
lusks, but are now grouped as mollus-
colds. Their shells are most numerous
in the older rocks, which in America
have yielded more than 800 of the spe-
eies described by Mr. Walcott.
In this work Mr.. Walcott describes
Az species and fifty-nine varieties of
Cambrian hrachiopods and forty two
species and one variety of Ordovician
brachiopods. The monograph consists
of two volumes, one contairing princi-
BaIly the text, the other containing fig
ures of fossils. The text tpart one)
covers S72 pages and contains seventy
six text figures: the plates (part twol
comprise half-tone views of more than
$50 fossils, the entire work including
illustrations showing 53S forms The
work includes tables of synonymy and
statements showing the localities and
horizons at which the fossils were
found. The author writes: MY main
purpose has been to make the results
of the investigation of value to the
student of Cambrian faunas and to the
photographic geologist.'
The monograph is sold by the United
States geological survey for four dol
lars copy.-Geological Survey Bulle-
tin