204 Mr. D. Sharpe and Mr. Salter on Paleozoic Fossils from South Africa. 



fully ascertained, we can only conjecture their place in the geological series frona 

 their analogy with European forms. This comparison, however, while it tends to 

 invalidate the conclusion that any of them are from true Silurian strata, as 

 formerly supposed, makes it very prohable that they belong to the Devonian, 



This conclusion was indeed arrived at when the specimens were first examined ; 

 and a letter to that effect from one of the authors was read at the end of Mr. Bain's 

 paper, which it is not thought necessary to print here. At the same time, and 

 quite independently, the same result was arrived at by Dr. F. Sandberger, and 

 published in the ' Neues Jahrbuch fiir Min. u. s. w.' for 1852, p. 581, &c.* 



We entirely agree with Dr. Sandberger in rejecting as improbable the association 

 of Lower and Upper Silurian species of Trilobites and Shells in the same beds with 

 Devonian types ; nor do we think it necessary to suppose that any beds of older 

 date occur in the localities mentioned, which might have afforded such Silurian 

 species ; and in the following descriptions we shall point out some fossils which 

 we believe to have been erroneously identified as Silurian by preceding observers. 



We cannot, however, follow Dr. Sandberger in referring certain Brachiopods, &c. 

 to European species of Devonian fossils : the only locality where any of these South 

 African species have previously been found is in the Falkland Islands ; and it is very 

 remarkable that, of the nine species brought from those islands by Mr. Darwin, 

 and figured in the 2nd volume of our Quarterly Journal, pi. 10 & 1 1, five are con- 

 tained in Mr. Bain's collection from the Cape. 



This interesting fact teaches us that the Devonian formation had a very wide 

 range in the Southern Hemisphere ; but, as far as we yet know, it was peopled by 

 species different from, though nearly allied to, those which lived at the same 

 period in the Northern regions. 



This would be in harmony with all that is known of the distribution of fossils in 

 Palfeozoic times. Both in the Silurian, Devonian, and Carboniferous epochs we 

 have proof of a geographical limitation of groups of species, perhaps less traceable 

 in the Carboniferous, — but most distinctly so in the Silurian. The fossils above 

 described furnish an additional proof of this limitation during the Devonian period. 



General List of the Palaozoic Fossils from South Africa. 



Spirifer Antarcticus, Morris ^" Sharpe. PI. XXVI. figs. 1, 2, & 5 . i 

 Orbignii, Morris ^ Sharpe. PI. XXVI. figs. 3, 4, & 6 . J 



Warm Bokkeveld : Falk- 

 land Islands. 



Warm Bokkeveld : Falk- 

 land Islands. 



* See also Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc, vol. ix. part 2. Miscell. p. I. 



