The Distribution of Loess Fossils

It has perhaps been noted that the loess mollusks thus far reported in the literature of the subject are, for the most part, from localities in close proximity to larger streams. This fact may have suggested the thought to those unfamiliar with the modern habits and present distribution of these mollusks that the adjacent streams had in some way something to do with the entombing of the shells now found in the loess. That the loess is most richly fossiliferous near streams is generally, though not always, true. The abundance of fossils is a decidedly variable quantity. There are exposures near streams which exhibit fossils in profusion, and others which are wholly barren. On the other hand, exposures quite remote from streams contain fossils, — though in such situations a proportionately much larger part of the loess is entirely devoid of them