12J; [November, 



INTEODUCTOEY PAPEES ON FOSSIL ENTOMOLOGY. 

 BY H. GOSS, F.L.S., F.G.S. 



No. 3. 



PaJcEozoic Time. 



[0« the Insect n of the Devonian fei^iod, and the animals and plants with 

 loliich they were correlated.~\ 



In my second* paper I called attention to the sequence in whicli 

 tlie existing orders of insects made their appearance on the Geological 

 horizon. In this and the following papers I propose to enumerate 

 some of the principal genera and species by which the existing orders 

 were represented in past ages, and to allude to the other classes of 

 animals, and to the plants with which they were correlated. I shall 

 follow the ascending order of Geological succession, beginning with 

 the oldest rocks in whicli insect remains have been discovered, and pro- 

 ceeding upwards to those of most recent date. 



The six oldest known fossil insects were, as alreadyf stated, 

 obtained by Mr. C. F. Hartt, from the Devonian rocks of New 

 Brunswick. The locality in which they were found has been named 

 by their discoverer, " Fern Ledges," and is situated about a mile west 

 of the town of Carleton, near St. John's. The rocks at this place are 

 described as forming a series of ledges, exposed on the sea shore 

 between high and low water mark, and consisting of beds of sand- 

 stone and fossiliferous shales, rich in plant remains. Some doubt as 

 to the age of these rocks has been expressed by Dr. Geinitz, who 

 considered them as probably belonging to the Carboniferous foi'matiou, 

 from the fact that one of the insects obtained f I'om them was associated 

 with a fern, characteristic of that formation; but Dr. DawsoniJ; believes 

 that from their containing beds '■ richly stored with Devonian plants," 

 and underlying uncomformably the oldest portion of the Carboniferous 

 series, they belong most unquestionably to the Devonian formation, 

 and his opinion has been accepted by all the leading geologists in 

 Europe and America. 



As these Devonian insects are the most ancient representatives 

 of their class, yet discovered, they are especially interesting, and are 

 probably worthy of a more detailed notice than can be bestowed, in 

 these papers, on the majority of those obtained from rocks of subsequent 



* Antec, pp. ,52 — 56 of this vol. 



t Antea, pp. 52, 5,S of this vol. 



} Geol. Mag., vol. iv, 1807, p. 386. "Acadian Geology" (2nd edit.l, by Dr. Dawson, F.R.S. 

 The Quat. Joum. Geol. Soc, 1862 and 1863. Geol. Mag., vol. v, 1868, p. 175. "Mannal of 

 Geology," Xew York, 1874, by Professor Dana. 



