BEEDE: UPPER PERMIAN RED BEDS. 145 



States concerning the south-westward extension of the Wreford 

 limestone (and Payne sandstone), previously mentioned, as 

 traced out by Kirk, that "it crosses the South Canadian 

 river at Purcell and is still trending southwest. If it con- 

 tinued, this would just about bring it in strike with the top of 

 Cummins's so-called Wichita beds. The Red Beds of Okla- 

 homa as far west as this line are probably Pennsylvanian." 

 The last statement is based on paleontologic evidence. 



If the horizon of the Wreford limestone should correspond 

 to the upper Wichita, it would make the Kansas vertebrates 

 described by Williston of similar horizon with the same fossils 

 from Texas. It would agree very well also with the discov- 

 ery of a Permian flora in Kansas below the Wreford lime- 

 stone. 



However, whether the Wichita beds are below or above 

 the Wreford limestone, they must, it seems to me, be consid- 

 ered as Permian on paleontological evidence of great weight. 

 In event the Wreford limestone should prove to be in the 

 horizon of the upper Wichita division, the fact that Phacoceras 

 dumblei Hiatt would then occur in a much higher horizon in 

 Kansas than in Texas might be explained by the difficulty 

 this clear water (limestone) species would have in getting 

 through the muddy, irony waters of the intervening region, 

 now occupied by red clays and sandstones. However, this 

 must be regarded as pure speculation until our knowledge of 

 the stratigraphic relationship of the two regions is much more 

 complete. 



It is necessary to say a word here regarding what are fre- 

 quently mentioned as "Coal Measures species" and "Penn- 

 sylvanian species" in the Permian. They almost invariably 

 refer to certain vigorous forms of great stratigraphic range, 

 such as Productus semireticulatus , Seminula argentia and sev- 

 eral others. Such cases are parallels, though with more re- 

 stricted range, with Leptxna rhomboidalis , Atrypa reticularis, 

 and others of the older rocks. When species of this charac- 

 ter occur in the Permian rocks they deserve no more consid- 

 eration than the occurrence of the latter two species when 

 they occur anywhere within their known range. If we ap- 

 ply the laws of evolution to cases where continual sedimenta- 



3-Univ. Sci. Bull.. Vol. IV, No. 3. 



