48 Parallelism of the Palaeozoic Deposits 



hiulcus, B. Urii, Euomphalus carbonarhis , E. p entangidatus ) 

 Macrochetlus curvilineus, Allorisma sulcata, Terebratula Ro« 

 issyi, T. piano sulcata, Spirifer lincatiis, S. striatus, S. atteuu- 

 at us , S. cuspidatus, Orthis crenistria, O. resupinata, O. Miche* 

 lini, Leptcena depressa, Chovetes sarcinrdata, Productus semi-* 

 reticulalus, P. Cora, P. Flemingi, P. punctatus, P. costatus, 

 Cidarites Nerii, Amp lex us spinosus, Cyathophyllum mitratum, 

 Chcetetes capillaris, Fusulina cylindrica ; total, thirty-one. 



All these species, except the Leptcena depressa, and the Orthis 

 crenistria, are peculiar to the Carboniferous system, and charac- 

 terize it over a great part of the globe ; for by a remarkable ex- 

 ception, many species of this system have at the same time cir- 

 cumscribed vertical limits and very extensive horizontal distribu- 

 tion: such are for example the Productus semireticulatus, P. 

 Cora, and P. Flemi?igi, which have been found from the Altai 

 and the Russo-Chinese frontiers to Missouri, and even upon the 

 plateau of the Andes of Bolivia. 



When we compare the carboniferous fauna of America with 

 that of Europe, we see with astonishment, that notwithstanding 

 the distance which separates these countries, the genera and the 

 species present the same modifications, the same diiferences from 

 the preceding fauna.* 



In fact, while the persevering researches of Mr. King, in 

 Pennsylvania,! go to prove to us the existence of large air-breath- 

 ing animals at this epoch, the discovery of a Saurian recently 

 made in the carboniferous beds in Germany ,J proves that the ap- 

 pearance of this class of animals, more ancient than has been 

 believed until now, was contemporaneous on the two continents. 



The trilobites follow a similar order of decrease, and are re- 

 duced in America as in Europe, to some small species of the genus 

 Phillipsia. The Goniatites offer also for the first time the new 



* The analogy between the two continents appears to be more marked at this 

 epoch than at the anterior epochs, the number of identical species being relatively 

 more considerable. If we seek the cause of this, we are led to attribute it to more 

 analogous physical conditions, which proves the uniformity of the deposits of this 

 epoch, and perhaps also to a peculiar disposition of the submarine outline, that is 

 to say, the bottom and the islands which extended from Europe towards America. 

 M. Elie de Beaumont explains this disposition in a very natural manner. He re- 

 gards it as an effect of the W.N. W. upheaving which preceded the establishment 

 of the Carboniferous system, and which he has called the system du Ballon of 

 the Alsace. We are happy to see the beautiful theory of our illustrious friend 

 thus confirmed by independent researches. 



t See the interesting letter of Mr. Lyell upon the evidence of the footprints of 

 aauadruped resembling the Cheirotherium, in the Carboniferous strata of Penn- 

 sylvania. (This Journal, ii ser., vol. ii, p. 25.) 



X This discovery, of which we have been informed by von Buch, destroys the 

 rincipal objection which could be made to the extent which we have given to the 

 'alaeozoic formation, in our work on Russia, by comprising in it the Permian Sys- 

 tem ; for this objection was founded on the opinion then established, that the Sao- 

 rians appeared for the first time in this system ; and the importance of the appear- 

 ance of animals of this class to determine the point of departure of the secondary 

 formation. 





