﻿FOURTH 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  DIRECTOR 
  I907 
  49 
  

  

  severe 
  winter 
  kills 
  off 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  animals 
  specially 
  acclimated 
  

   to 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  world. 
  1 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  easy 
  to 
  see 
  that 
  such 
  a 
  restricted 
  cause 
  could 
  have 
  no 
  effect 
  

   in 
  accumulating 
  the 
  deposits 
  of 
  these 
  animals 
  in 
  the 
  tropic 
  South 
  

   America. 
  No 
  one, 
  however, 
  has 
  been 
  happier 
  in 
  his 
  theories 
  upon 
  

   this 
  problem 
  than 
  the 
  author 
  of 
  the 
  Essai 
  sur 
  I'origine 
  de 
  la 
  popula- 
  

   tion 
  de 
  VAmerique, 
  volume 
  II, 
  page 
  298, 
  who 
  regards 
  all 
  these 
  bones 
  

   (whether 
  in 
  jest 
  or 
  earnest, 
  no 
  one 
  knows) 
  as 
  nothing 
  more 
  than 
  

   the 
  remains 
  of 
  a 
  troop 
  of 
  fallen 
  angels 
  (equipped 
  with 
  six-pound 
  

   back 
  teeth!) 
  which, 
  according 
  to 
  his 
  notion, 
  were 
  the 
  original 
  

   inhabitants 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  in 
  its 
  primitive 
  and 
  glorious 
  state, 
  until, 
  

   because 
  of 
  their 
  transgressions 
  they 
  were 
  condemned 
  to 
  universal 
  

   destruction 
  near 
  their 
  own 
  earthly 
  habitation, 
  whereupon 
  the 
  rest 
  

   of 
  the 
  purified 
  planet 
  was 
  cleaned 
  up 
  for 
  the 
  reception 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  

   improved 
  race 
  of 
  mankind. 
  

  

  Devonic 
  crinoids 
  of 
  New 
  York. 
  The 
  work 
  on 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  

   crinoids 
  has 
  shown 
  a 
  fauna 
  of 
  exceptional 
  and 
  unexpected 
  interest. 
  

   Thus 
  far 
  nearly 
  40 
  genera 
  have 
  been 
  recognized, 
  some 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  

   time 
  in 
  Devonic 
  rocks 
  and 
  the 
  number 
  closely 
  approaches 
  the 
  total 
  

   genera 
  hitherto 
  known 
  from 
  the 
  Devonic 
  rocks 
  of 
  the 
  world. 
  The 
  

   group 
  of 
  the 
  Inadunata 
  is 
  well 
  toward 
  completion 
  and 
  many 
  draw- 
  

   ings 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  made. 
  These 
  investigations 
  are 
  being 
  made 
  by 
  

   Mr 
  Edwin 
  Kirk. 
  

  

  Paleozoic 
  corals. 
  Excellent 
  progress 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  by 
  

   Dr 
  T. 
  Wayland 
  Vaughan 
  on 
  the 
  anaylsis 
  of 
  the 
  genera 
  of 
  the 
  

   Paleozoic 
  corals. 
  Dr 
  Vaughan 
  labors 
  under 
  the 
  disadvantage 
  of 
  

   endeavoring 
  to 
  rescue 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  previous 
  attempts 
  made 
  here 
  to 
  

   define 
  and 
  illustrate 
  these 
  fossils 
  but 
  his 
  efforts 
  give 
  promise 
  of 
  an 
  

   eventually 
  satisfactory 
  outcome. 
  

  

  Devonic 
  fishes. 
  A 
  monograph 
  of 
  the 
  Devonic 
  Fishes 
  of 
  New 
  

   York 
  by 
  Dr 
  Charles 
  R. 
  Eastman 
  was 
  issued 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  as 
  

   Memoir 
  10. 
  This 
  work 
  affords 
  a 
  comprehensive 
  survey 
  of 
  present 
  

   knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  fishes 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  rocks 
  of 
  this 
  State 
  and 
  

   though 
  these 
  remains 
  are 
  in 
  many 
  instances 
  in 
  highly 
  incomplete 
  

   condition, 
  it 
  has 
  laid 
  the 
  foundation 
  of 
  future 
  study 
  of 
  these 
  organ- 
  

   isms. 
  Moreover 
  the 
  author's 
  wide 
  acquaintance 
  with 
  his 
  subject 
  

   has 
  given 
  his 
  general 
  conclusions 
  more 
  than 
  ordinary 
  interest 
  and 
  

   force. 
  Under 
  the 
  title 
  " 
  Zoological 
  conclusions 
  " 
  problems 
  of 
  the 
  

   evolution 
  of 
  the 
  fishes 
  are 
  discussed, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  eel- 
  

  

  1 
  In 
  the 
  severe 
  winter 
  of 
  1779-80 
  a 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  roe 
  deer 
  were 
  

   found 
  dead 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  in 
  the 
  woods 
  in 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  America 
  and 
  

   its 
  mountains 
  ; 
  often 
  many 
  together 
  near 
  the 
  frozen 
  springs 
  where 
  they 
  

   were 
  accustomed 
  to 
  drink 
  or 
  to 
  lick 
  salt. 
  A 
  multitude 
  of 
  birds 
  and 
  

   other 
  animals 
  were 
  also 
  killed 
  that 
  winter. 
  

  

  