NAPLES FAUNA IN WESTERN NEW YORK, PART 2 2O9 



(3) the Cattaraugus stage, in which the area of deposit extended westward 

 from the Catskill area into the southern tier of New York counties and in 

 northern Pennsylvania, time being early Carbonic. The deposits of this 

 stage may be represented in the higher strata of the Catskill mountains 

 section. 



Bionic provinces of the Appalachian gulf during Portage time 



The distinctions in the life provinces over the north shore of this 

 ancient gulf are marked with wonderful clearness. No such striking 

 illustration of distinct faunal association in an area of so slight extent 

 is elsewhere afforded by the rocks of New York. The provincial distinc- 

 tions have been referred to by the writer on several occasions ; they are 

 here briefly recounted. 



1 Oneonta province. This is the easternmost part of the sedimentation 

 area of Portage time, or, if not of the entire epoch, at least of most of it. 1 

 The area covers large parts of Delaware, Otsego and Chenango counties 

 east of the Chenango river, and tongues of its upper deposits extend west- 

 ward across the last named county. As has been explained at length 

 above, we look on the organisms which occupied this area as of fresh- 

 water or at least estuarine habit. The sediments are sands similar, 

 save for their notable iron oxid tints, to those of the marine provinces 

 adjoining. 



2 Ithaca province. A typical marine fauna of benthonic habit spread 

 over the heart of the gulf. It was the Ithaca fauna, profuse in species and 

 individuals. Its area of sedimentation at the opening of this time seems 

 to have spread from the Albany head of the gulf, but the shallowing which 

 gave birth to Lake Oneonta initiated the transgression of the lagoon area 

 over this marine province. Westward the fauna continues in force to the 

 meridian of Cayuga lake, in its later stages transgressing in this vicinity 

 for a short distance the earlier sediments of the bionic province next west. 



1 According to Prosser there is evidence of slight thickness of Ithaca deposits beneath 

 the Oneonta beds on the Hudson river side of the area. 



