﻿2IO 
  

  

  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Finally, 
  there 
  is 
  also 
  evidence 
  that 
  already 
  the 
  early 
  Cambric 
  

   rocks 
  of 
  this 
  vState 
  may 
  carry 
  remains 
  of 
  algae. 
  The 
  Lower 
  Cam- 
  

   bric 
  shales 
  contain 
  in 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  localities 
  in 
  the 
  slate 
  belt 
  of 
  

   eastern 
  New 
  York 
  east 
  of 
  Albany, 
  numerous 
  specimens 
  of 
  a 
  stately 
  

   form 
  [see 
  text 
  fig. 
  14] 
  that 
  was 
  first 
  discovered 
  by 
  T. 
  N. 
  Dale 
  

   and 
  has 
  been 
  described 
  by 
  Walcott^ 
  as 
  Oldhamia 
  (jMurchi- 
  

   sonites) 
  occidens. 
  

  

  The 
  original 
  Oldhamia 
  is 
  now 
  currently 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  as 
  of 
  purely 
  mechanical 
  origin 
  [see 
  

   Solms-Laubach, 
  p. 
  50 
  and 
  H. 
  Potonie, 
  Lehr- 
  

   buch 
  der 
  Pflanzenpalaeontologie, 
  1899. 
  p. 
  32]. 
  

   O. 
  occidens, 
  which 
  is 
  by 
  Walcott 
  provision- 
  

   ally 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  calcareous 
  algae 
  and 
  by 
  Dale 
  

   to 
  the 
  nullipores, 
  is 
  only 
  found 
  as 
  casts 
  on 
  the 
  

   surface 
  of 
  a 
  smooth 
  silicious 
  slate 
  and 
  therefore, 
  

   notwithstanding 
  its 
  highly 
  suggestive 
  form, 
  is 
  

   still 
  a 
  very 
  doubtful 
  vegetable 
  fossil. 
  The 
  habi- 
  

   tus 
  of 
  the 
  form 
  as 
  figured 
  by 
  Walcott 
  is 
  not 
  that 
  

   of 
  a 
  nullipore, 
  but 
  rather 
  that 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   many 
  Florideae 
  with 
  whorls 
  of 
  branchlets 
  

  

  The 
  inference 
  from 
  the 
  before 
  stated 
  facts 
  is 
  

   that 
  the 
  earlier 
  Paleozoic 
  rocks 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  

   contain, 
  or 
  are 
  indeed 
  partly 
  composed 
  of, 
  

   masses 
  of 
  calcareous 
  algae, 
  and 
  that 
  possibly 
  these 
  are 
  even 
  

   traceable 
  back 
  into 
  early 
  Cambric 
  time. 
  All 
  of 
  these 
  forms 
  re- 
  

   quire, 
  however, 
  microscopic 
  "study 
  of 
  their 
  structure 
  by 
  a 
  com- 
  

   petent 
  phytopaleontologist 
  to 
  establish 
  their 
  vegetable 
  origin 
  be- 
  

   yond 
  doubt, 
  and 
  to 
  determine 
  their 
  taxonomic 
  relations 
  by 
  the 
  dis- 
  

   covery 
  of 
  the 
  propagative 
  organs. 
  

  

  No 
  calcareous 
  algae 
  have 
  as 
  yet 
  been 
  made 
  known 
  from 
  our 
  

   Devonic 
  rocks, 
  although 
  their 
  presence 
  there 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  doubted. 
  

   The 
  Devonic 
  of 
  this 
  State 
  has 
  thus 
  far 
  furnished 
  to 
  us 
  of 
  indubi- 
  

   table 
  algal 
  remains, 
  only 
  the 
  large 
  Thamnocladus 
  clarkei 
  

   White 
  froni 
  the 
  Chemung, 
  that 
  according 
  to 
  its 
  author 
  has 
  the 
  

   greatest 
  similarity 
  in 
  the 
  external 
  characters 
  with 
  the 
  Fucaceae, 
  

   and 
  the 
  giant 
  stem 
  of 
  Nematophytum 
  crassum 
  from 
  the 
  

   Hamilton 
  group 
  of 
  Orange 
  co., 
  N. 
  Y., 
  that 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  

   State 
  A^useum 
  and 
  is 
  also 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  Fucaceae.^ 
  

  

  ^ 
  Walcott, 
  C. 
  D. 
  Discovery 
  of 
  the 
  Genus 
  Oldhamia 
  in 
  America. 
  U. 
  S. 
  

   Nat. 
  Mus. 
  Proc. 
  1894. 
  v. 
  17, 
  no. 
  1002, 
  p. 
  313-15. 
  See 
  also 
  Dale, 
  T. 
  N. 
  

   Geology 
  of 
  the 
  Hudson 
  Valley 
  between 
  the 
  Hoosic 
  and 
  the 
  Kinderhook. 
  

   U. 
  S. 
  Geol. 
  Sur. 
  Bui. 
  242. 
  1904. 
  p. 
  13. 
  

  

  '' 
  Penhallow, 
  D. 
  P. 
  U. 
  S. 
  Nat. 
  Mus. 
  Proc. 
  1893. 
  16: 
  117. 
  See 
  also 
  

   Prosser, 
  C. 
  S. 
  Am. 
  Geol. 
  1902.- 
  29: 
  372. 
  

  

  Fig. 
  14 
  Old- 
  

   hamia 
  (Mur- 
  

   chisonites 
  occi- 
  

   dens. 
  Walcott 
  

  

  Original 
  figure. 
  

   (Copy 
  from 
  Walcott) 
  

  

  