THE CAPE SYSTEM 155 



The fossils l common to the Bokkeveld beds and the 

 Devonian strata of the Falkland Islands, South and 

 North America, and Europe are marked with a cross, x , 

 and "a" indicates that the species is very closely 

 related to one or more in those countries. The general 

 character and relationship of the fauna have lately been 

 discussed b^ Mr. Keed in the first paper mentioned in 

 the footnote. He points out that the fauna is remark- 

 ably poor in corals and cephalopods, and that it is more 

 nearly related to that of the Devonian strata of South 

 America than of other parts of the world. The relation- 

 ship with the North American Devonian fauna is also 

 very close, the relationship being with the Middle rather 

 than with the Lower Devonian ; in the case of European 

 faunas the resemblance is closer to the Lower Devo- 

 nian (Coblenzian). 



The similarity to the American fauna and the contrast 

 to the probably contemporary fauna in Europe has led 

 several authors to postulate the existence of a continent 2 

 between America and Africa, over part of what is now 

 the Atlantic Ocean, during Devonian times ; this land 

 barrier separated the southern sea from that of Western 

 Europe. This hypothesis, however, is only one of 



1 The list of fossils is taken from Mr. F. E. C. Heed's paper in G. M., 

 1907, pp. 167, 222, with additions from the same author's latest paper in 

 A. S. A. M., vol. iv., 1908, p. 381. The species mentioned are described 

 in the following papers : Salter and Sharpe, T. G. S., 2nd series, vol. vii., 

 1856, p. 203 ; Woodward, Q. J. G. S., xxix., 1873, p. 31 ; Lake, A. S. A. 

 M., vol. iv., 1904, p. 201 ; Keed, A. S. A. M., vol. iv., 1903, p. 165, andi&id., 

 iv., 1904, p. 239 ; iv., 1908, p. 381 ; G. M., 1907, p. 34, and Schwarz, Rec. 

 Alb. Mus., i., 1906, p. 347. 



2 This is the Flabellites Land of Prof. Schwarz, T. S. A. P. S., xvi., 

 p. 19. 



