REPORT OF THE STATE PALEONTOLOGIST I903 1 87 



they far outweigh the greater number of Helderbergian species. It 

 is on this account that these beds have been included in the Oris- 

 kany. 



With the inclusion of these beds in the Oriskany the question of 

 correlation with the Oriskany of other regions at once arises. Are 

 these lower as well as the upper beds the time equivalent of the 

 arenaceous Oriskany as developed at Oriskany Falls, New York, or 

 do they represent in time a part of the unconformity beneath the 

 normal Oriskany and would, therefore, be an older or lower Oris- 

 kany ? 



Large Rensselaerias are characteristic of the typical Oriskany. 

 Beach ia suessana is a small and earlier form of this same 

 type ; it is one of the most abundant shells of these beds and is 

 practically absent from the upper beds and from the Helderbergian 

 below. Rensselaeria subglobosa is another small and 

 very abundant non-Helderbergian species confined to these lower 

 beds. The following species occurring here are quite typical of 

 the lower Helderberberg : Rensselaeria aequiradiata, 

 Nucleospira elegans, Stenochisma formosa, 

 Uncinulus vellicatus, Actinopteria textilis and 

 H o m a 1 o n o t u s v a n u x e m i . None of the following normal 

 Oriskany species were found here : Rensselaeria ovoides, 

 ]\iegalanteris ovalis, Camarotoechia bar- 

 ran dei, Leptocoelia flabellites, Spirifer are- 

 nosus, Chonostrophia complanata and H i p p a - 

 rionyxproximus. 



With the presence of the forms noticed above which foreshadow 

 the normal Oriskanian fauna, the presence of a very decided Helder- 

 bergian element and the absence of so many typical Oriskanian 

 species, an earlier fauna than the normal Oriskanian appears to be 

 indicated. They have, therefore, been called Lower Oriskany.^ 



'Of the 30 species cited by Schuchert from the Camden (Tenn.) Lower 

 Oriskany, 22 species are typical Oriskanian or later, 6 are Helderbergian, 

 Eatonia peculiaris occurs in both and Atrypa reticularis 

 ranges through the Siluric and Devonic ; Hippafionyx proximus 

 and Rensselaeria ovoides are questionably present. The typical 

 Helderbergian M e r i s t e 1 1 a 1 a e v i s and P t e r i n e a ? cf. textilis 



