REPORT OF THE STATE PALEONTOLOGIST I9O3 1 5 



Graptolites of the slate belt of eastern New York. This series of 

 investigations on the nature of the graptoUte faunas of New York 

 and their correlation with those of other parts of the world has been 

 completed so far as relates to the earlier rocks. A second part of 

 these investigations will include the later manifestations of the grap- 

 tolite faunas. The graptolites have proved under the recent studies 

 of European and American paleontologists the leading fossils for the 

 subdivision of the Siluric deposits into zones of life and correlation. 

 The first serious studies of their organization were made by James 

 Hall and Ebenezer Emmons, and Professor Hall's elaborate and 

 beautifully illustrated memoir on the Graptolites of the Quebec Group, 

 1865, republished in the 20th annual report of the State Museum as 

 an "Introduction to the Study of the Graptolitidae " has been classical 

 for the study of these forms. Our knowledge of these objects has 

 however been greatly augmented by the investigations carried on by 

 European authors, specially by Lapworth on the distribution and 

 classification of the British graptolites. As far back as 1886 that 

 writer indicated the general parallelism in the succession of these 

 faunas in Canada and Great Britain, and in papers already published 

 in our own reports the same line of inquiry and demonstration has 

 been followed, together with contributions to their anatomy, 

 physiology and bionomy. The present work covers with some degree 

 of detail and in successive chapters the following subjects of inquiry: 

 history of the study of the graptolites ; methods of investigation and 

 illustration ; terminology ; vertical range and geographic distribution ; 

 mode of existence ; ontogeny and reproduction ; morphology ; his- 

 tology ; classification and phylogeny ; synoptic tables ; description of 

 species — 71 in all, of which 29 are new. 



Fauna of the Beekmantown and Chazy formations. For many years 

 before his death Professor Hall hoped for the opportunity to revise 

 his first volume of the Palaeontology of New York. Back in the 

 years from 1843 to 1847, when he was engaged in working out the 

 fauna of the older rocks, the collectors were few and the localities 

 but lightly explored. He did a w^ork of the highest merit, but the 

 revolving years have added much to our knowledge of these early 

 faunas, though he found no opportunity to return to them. A 



