76 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 7G 



countries. Let me not be misunderstood here. I have no wish to 

 deny that the local developments of the fossil faunas in Bohemia, 

 the Baltic region, Sweden, Norway, and, perhaps in less degree, 

 also in Great Britain have been more thoroughly exploited and the 

 results of their study published than in America. This admission 

 applies particularly to the often extremely fossiliferous pre-Cincin- 

 natian formations in the Appalachian Valley, central Kentucky, 

 middle Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, but it should 

 not be interpreted as implying that we have neglected to collect and 

 study these faunas. We have failed only in this, that publication 

 ■of the results has lagged far behind our information regarding their 

 character and stratigraphic significance. 



Having the maximum development of lower and middle Paleo- 

 zoic marine deposits and also a more detailed conception of the 

 sequence of geologic events recorded in and by them it seems not 

 only natural but also desirable that the American record should be 

 the standard for world-wide comparison. If this were conceded 

 then even very elementary comparisons of classical north European 

 Eopaleozoic sections with American sections of the same era would 

 convince the observer that the composite European sequence is not 

 only inferior in completeness but also that the stratigraphic hiatuses 

 in it are of greater chronologic significance than has been recog- 

 nized by those most familiar with the fossil contents of the concerned 

 deposits. 



EXPLANATORY NOTES ON THE FORMATIONS IN THE SEVERAL COLUMNS 



Oklaho77ia. — This sequence of formations is found on the flanks 

 of the Arbuckle and Wichita Mountains in the south-central part 

 of the State. At the base and resting on pre-Cambrian granite and 

 porphyry are the two Upper Cambrian formations. Over these 

 comes the great series of clolomitic and pure limestones to which Taff 

 applied the term Arbuckle limestone, but which is subdivided into a 

 number of formations in a work nearing completion. The lower 

 part is divided into six oscillating Ozarkian formations, two of which 

 are confined to the Arbuckle area, two to the Wichita area, and two 

 are datum planes common to both. The greater upper part of the 

 Arbuckle is of Canadian age and divided into three formations, the 

 limestones of the Lower and Middle Canadian being provisionally 

 united in one and the lithologically more varied beds of Upper 

 Canadian age into two. 



The succeeding Simpson of Taff's classification comprises seven 

 variously distributed and interfingering formations. Of these only 

 the topmost (Bromide) has been previously named. The others 

 are newlv named as in the table. Each begins with a sandstone of 



