ORDINARY MEETINGS. xlvit 



"The Institute desires to convey to LADY DAWSON and her family^ 

 an expression of the deep sympathy with which its members have heard 

 of the sad bereavement she andJier family have experienced." 



A paper by HENRY M. AMI, ESQ., D. Sc., of the Geological Survey 

 of Canada, " On the Sub-divisions of the Carboniferous System in 

 Eastern Canada," was read by DR. E. GILPIN who gave an introductory^ 

 statement of a popular character. (See Transactions, p. 162). 



The subject was discussed by DR. GILPIN, MR. J. FORBES and others. 



The president, DR. A. H. MAcKAY, said he was glad to have DR. 

 AMI'S views presented to the Institute. He spent a fortnight with Mr. 

 Fletcher in running over the stream-exposed sections of the southern, 

 flanks of the Cobequids ; and became deeply interested in some of the 

 problems discussed in the paper. The extremely careful work done of 

 late years had thrown new light on the problems attempted to be solved 

 by the older geologists trom their original but more limited observations: 

 Mr. Flotcher has reason to feel gratified that Dr. Ami and Dr. Dawsoa 

 admit that his maps of the region in question " show clearly the true 

 and natural order of sequence of the formations ;" so that the reference 

 to " types that are everywhere held to te of caiboniferous age" must 

 indicate a revision of the older geological nomenclature of some regions. 

 Sir William Dawson, a most eminent paleontologist as well as geologist, 

 after studying the fossil plants and animals of Eiversdale, MacKay 

 Head, and Harrington River, placed them in the Millstone Grit forma- 

 tion as intimately related to those of the Coal Measures. Dr. Ami now 

 correlates them with the Lancaster fern ledges (hitherto known as 

 Devonian) of New Brunswick ; but he would place them all in his new 

 Eo-carboniferous. Of the twenty-one fossil species enumerated by Dr. 

 Ami, fifteen were Dawson's own species. Psilophyton glabrum belonged 

 to a genus hitherto generally considered to be characteristic of the 

 Devonian. Leaia Leidyi (perhaps identical with Leaia tricarinata) 

 was found in rocks called Devonian by many geologists. Belinurus 

 grandoevus and Estheria Daicsoni represented genera usually considered 

 common both to the Devonian and the Carboniferous, with specific 

 names given to specimens obtained from the rocks in dispute. Dr. 

 Ami's new species Sauropus Dawsoni was stated to be only " apparently 

 from rocks of this age." Mr. Fletcher would appear to oppose the 

 assumption that the rocks underlying the New Glasgow conglomerate- 



