320 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. 



fauna,' are used with propriety when applied to the groups of fos- 

 sils characterizing the Etages and D in Bohemia ; but these 

 terms, unless limited, should not be extended to equivalent groups 

 of the same age, but forming distinct faunas, in other parts of the 

 world, for such a double sense is incompatible with that precision 

 which should mark the use of scientific terms. Primordial zone is 

 objectionable ; if the term Primordial is used, and it is very appro- 

 priate, it would be much better to say Primordial Period, period 

 as used by Agassiz, being equivalent to Barrande's etage. 



11 The lower part of the Saint John group, at Coldbrook, has been 

 divided by Mr. Matthew on lithological grounds, into three bands, 

 viz: — 



No. 1. The lower arenaceous band, with no determinable fossils, 

 and constituting passage beds from the Coldbrook group. 



No 2. Argillaceous shales, rich in fossils, Paradoxides, Orthi- 

 sina(?)j Conocephalites, Obolella. 



No. 3. Carbonaceous shales, full of fossils, Paradoxtdes, Cono- 

 cejrfialites, Orthisina, Discina, &c, all much distorted. 



" I have not observed No 2, at Ratcliffe's millstream. No. 3, at 

 Coldbrook, corresponds exactly, in its fossil remains, to the bed at 

 the millstream, from which the Trilobites, &c, were obtained. 

 Nearly, if not all, the fossils I have seen from No. 2, at Coldbrook, 

 are entirely distinct from those of No. 3 of the same locality and 

 the Millstream ; but more material is required to establish the 

 claim of these two beds to be considered as being characterized by 

 distinct successive faunas. At all events, all the species from both 

 beds are different from those elsewhere occurring, and for at least 

 bed No. 3, we have in the vicinity of Saint John a distinct fauna 

 of the Primordial period. 



il Through the kindness of Prof. Agassiz, under whose supervision 

 my work is being done, and to whose suggestions I am largely in- 

 debted, I have been able to compare my specimens with the fine 

 suite of Bohemian and other Primordial Trilobites in this Museum. 

 The results of these comparisons I shall leave to be brought out in 

 my forthcoming paper." 



As might be expected, both reports contain much important 

 information as to the carboniferous rocks of New Brunswick ; but 

 for this we must refer to the publications themselves, which should 

 be on the shelves of every geologist. 



Published, Montreal, September 20, 1865. 



