Carhoniferous System in Eastern Canada. 151 



of erosion noted, together with the life-zones which these 

 formations contain, and which mark them, one lias been 

 able to arrive at a conclusion, which, it is hoped, will be in 

 accord with the views of the rest of the world, so that 

 whatever interpretation is given to the Carboniferous 

 system in one continent, the same should hold good for 

 another; so also with the Devonian system. 



Just as Time was a constant factor in the evolu- 

 tion or history of the Carboniferous system on this 

 planet, and that the amount of time involved must 

 be a more or less definite period — so also was Life a 

 constant factor ; and the several sub-divisions of the 

 Carboniferous system — the Eo-, Meso- and Neo-Carboni- 

 ferous must be marked by corresponding series of life- 

 zones in the same system. 



No difficulty has been experienced in separating or 

 uniting the various geological formations in the counties 

 of Nova Scotia (mentioned above) nor of understanding 

 their taxonomic relations. The most excellent work of 

 Mr. Hugh Fletcher, of the Geological Survey of Canada, 

 who kindly furnished me with maps and plans of the 

 region in question, shows clearly the true and natural 

 order of sequence of the formations. The main difference 

 relates to the horizon of the series of sediments, hitherto 

 known and designated by Mr. Fletcher as the Union 

 and Eiversdale series. Are they Carboniferous or are 

 they Devonian ? Mr. Fletcher would place them in the 

 Devonian. On pala?ontological as well as on structural 

 grounds I would include them in the Carboniferous. The 

 various formations of the Carboniferous system do not form 

 an unbroken succession of sedimentary strata in the dis- 

 puted region of Pictou, Colchester and adjacent counties. 

 Dislocations and unconformities appear on every hand. 

 Outcrops of formations, constituting cycles of construc- 

 tive forms, marking peculiar physical conditions of 

 deposition followed by periods of erosion and subsequent 



