418 IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE Vol. XXVI, 1919 



EVOLUTION OF PALEOZOIC FISHES 

 When in the early 70's of the last century Orestes St. John, an 

 Iowa youth, first attacked the problems concerning the ancient 

 fishes few forms were known to occur below the Carbonic horizons. 

 The great wealth of material of this description was just beginning 

 to be discovered in Iowa and the adjoining states. After complet- 

 ing his work on the Iowa geological survey, St. John turned his at- 

 tention to the fossil fishes. Large collections had been made at 

 Burlington, Keokuk, and other parts of southeastern Iowa. Under 

 the tutelage of the elder Agassiz, the foremost authority on fish 

 life, our lowan began his labors along these lines. 



The measure of St. John's wide researches on the character and 

 development of the Paleozoic fishes is found in the nimierous 

 memoirs which were issued in rapid succession and the several 

 more pretentious monographs, all of which amply testify how exten- 

 sively he contributed to our knowledge of the subject. Although 

 working so long and so far from his native state it is a singular 

 coincidence that he should have found in these distant places that 

 the main collections consisted of materials obtained from his old 

 home. Through his almost uncanny skill in reconstructing these 

 ancient organisms Iowa became famous the world over.^° 



St. John's efforts did not stop at merely pointing out the genetic 

 relationships of the old fishes, or in delineating their structures. His 

 descriptions are complete, lucid, illuminating. Few of the forms 

 which he described need redefinition — even after the elapse of fifty 

 years. Large numbers of forms were noted and pictured as new 

 to science. 



GARDEN OF STONE LILIES 



As is now generally known, Iowa is the most celebrated district 

 in all the world on account of the prolific occurrence of remains of 

 those beautiful fossil forms popularly called stone lilies or stemmed 

 feather-stars. It is to Iowa men that we are mainly indebted for 

 a monumental work on these curious forms of bygone life. Already 

 three large volumes are published. "North .Vmerican Fossil Crinoi- 

 dea Camerata"^' is one of the unique literary productions in new 

 world paleontology. Although the senior author, Charles Wach- 

 snnith, of Burlington, was not permitted to see the completion of 

 this prodigious work, the investigations go on with unabated vigor 

 under the undefatigable labors of the junior colleague. Frank 



"Illinois Geol., Surv., Vol. VI, 1875. 



'•Memoirs erf Mus. Comp. ZooL, 3 Vol.'?., Cani))ri(lge, 18!).T. 



