20 THE BRIAN, OR DEVONIAN. 



plants of the genus Nematophyton from the Bale de Chaleur and 

 Gaspe. 



In Mr Fletcher's Reports on Southern Cape Breton and Eastern 

 Nova Scotia some beds referred by me on the evidence of fossil 

 plants to the Lower Carboniferous are classed as Devonian. I am 

 not in a position to contest this on stratigraphical grounds, but I 

 know that some of the beds contain the characteristic flora of the 

 Horton series or lowest division of the Carboniferous. I may add 

 here that this series is sometimes locally unconformable to the coal- 

 formation. 



As doubts have been expressed, since the date of the last edition, 

 respecting the Lower Erian (Oriskany) age assigned in the body of the 

 work to the beds holding the iron ore of Nictaux, and Bear River in 

 Nova Scotia, I give here an abridgment of part of my paper of 1879 

 above referred to, and in which further details will be found. 



In 1868 I recognised, on the evidence of stratigraphy and fossils, in the dis- 

 trict extending from New Canaan to Bear River, the following groups of 



rocks : — 



1. The Niagara series, equivalent to the Wenlock of English geologists, 

 represented by the Dictyoneuia shales and the coral-bearing rocks of New 

 Canaan. 



2. The Upper Arisaig series (of my papers on Eastern Nova Scotia). This is 

 the equivalent of the Lower Helderberg series of America, the Ludlow of Eng- 

 land, and is the upper member of the Silurian as held at that time. Beds of 

 this age occur at Nictaux near to those of the next series. 



3. The Oriskany series, represented by iron ores, sandstones, and slates. At 

 that time the Oriskany was regarded by all as Lower Devonian. More recently 

 some American geologists have proposed to place it in the upper part of the 

 Silurian, above the Lower Helderberg, with which its fossUs have some affinity. 



A careful re-examination of the fossils which I have collected at 

 Nictaux and Bear River affords the following species characteristic 

 of the third of the above groups : — 



1. Zaplirentis, a large species with deep calyx. 



2. Favosites. General form and size of cells similar to those of F. ccrvi- 

 cornis, Ed. and Haime ; tabular continuous and very close. 



3. Pleurodictyum jjrohlematicum, Goldfuss. Cast of a large specimen. 



4. Stenopora. A branching species with very fine cells. 



5. Strophodonta magnifica, Hall. A large Strophodonta, resembling, as far 

 as the specimens admit comparison, the above species, characteristic of the 

 Oriskany. 



6. Strophomena rhomboidalis. 



7. Spirifer arenosus, Hall. This characteristically Oriskany species is so 

 abundant at Nictaux, that though the specimens are imperfect, 1 think its 

 recognition certain. It is found also at Bear Eiver. 



8. Spirifer arredus. Hall, or allied, also an Oriskany species. 



