﻿170 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  known 
  as 
  Carboniferous 
  in 
  Pennsylvania, 
  should 
  be 
  referred 
  to 
  

   this 
  horizon. 
  

  

  Life 
  of 
  the 
  Carhoniferous 
  

  

  Animals 
  

  

  Foraminifera 
  were 
  abundant. 
  Sponges 
  were 
  well 
  represented. 
  

   Reef 
  building 
  corals 
  were 
  scarce. 
  Crinoids 
  were 
  abundant. 
  

  

  Brachiopods 
  were 
  large 
  and 
  numerous. 
  i 
  

  

  Mollusks 
  were 
  prominently 
  represented 
  by 
  cephalopods. 
  

  

  The 
  fishes 
  of 
  the 
  Carboniferous 
  were 
  very 
  numerous 
  and 
  were 
  

   pvrincipally 
  sharks 
  and 
  ganoids. 
  

  

  The 
  presence 
  of 
  amphibians 
  was 
  the 
  prominent 
  feature 
  in 
  the 
  

   life 
  of 
  the 
  Carboniferous 
  ; 
  their 
  bones 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  coal 
  measures. 
  

   The 
  largest 
  were 
  about 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  alligators. 
  

  

  Before 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  Carboniferous, 
  reptiles 
  appeared. 
  

  

  Plants 
  

  

  Vegetable 
  life 
  was 
  well 
  represented 
  by 
  ferns, 
  lycopods, 
  equi- 
  

   setae, 
  conifers 
  and 
  cycads. 
  These 
  were 
  the 
  plants 
  which 
  sup- 
  

   plied 
  the 
  vegetable 
  tissue 
  which 
  forms 
  the 
  coal 
  beds. 
  

  

  Mesozoic 
  Time 
  

  

  The 
  Mesozoic 
  presents 
  a 
  marked 
  contrast 
  to 
  the 
  Palaeozoic. 
  

   The 
  sea 
  was 
  peopled 
  with 
  fishes. 
  Cephalopods 
  were 
  most 
  promi- 
  

   nent 
  among 
  the 
  mollusks. 
  True 
  reptiles 
  which 
  appeared 
  in 
  

   the 
  Permian 
  were 
  large 
  and 
  numerous 
  and 
  reached 
  their 
  highest 
  

   development.. 
  Mammals 
  appeared 
  as 
  a 
  new 
  element 
  but 
  held 
  a 
  

   subordinate 
  position. 
  They 
  were 
  at 
  first 
  quite 
  small. 
  

  

  There 
  was 
  a 
  complete 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  vegetation. 
  Sigillaria 
  and 
  

   calamites 
  disappeared 
  and 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  gymnosperms 
  succeeded 
  

   that 
  of 
  acrogens 
  or 
  pteridophyta. 
  

  

  Arborescent 
  conifers 
  were 
  very 
  large 
  and 
  abundant. 
  The 
  

   cycads 
  occupied 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  the 
  palms 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  day. 
  

  

  The 
  Mesozoic 
  series 
  includes 
  the 
  Triassic, 
  Jurassic 
  and 
  Cretace- 
  

   ous 
  systems. 
  

  

  