﻿5 
  2 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  very 
  necessary 
  to 
  understand 
  this 
  matter 
  of 
  the 
  provincial 
  

   character 
  of 
  Devonic 
  faunas 
  in 
  North 
  America. 
  Also, 
  in 
  tabulating 
  

   the 
  facts 
  of 
  distribution, 
  one 
  must 
  keep 
  in 
  mind 
  the 
  inferred 
  lines 
  of 
  

   intercommunication 
  between 
  those 
  provinces 
  that 
  were 
  connected, 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  barriers 
  between 
  others 
  that 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  separated. 
  The 
  data 
  upon 
  which 
  our 
  information 
  in 
  

   regard 
  to 
  these 
  matters 
  reposes 
  have 
  been 
  brought 
  together 
  chiefly 
  

   by 
  workers 
  in 
  invertebrate 
  paleontology, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  evidence 
  at 
  

   their 
  disposal 
  is 
  enormous 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  that 
  obtained 
  from 
  a 
  

   study 
  of 
  the 
  vertebrates 
  alone, 
  no 
  deductions 
  drawn 
  from 
  the 
  latter 
  

   are 
  likely 
  to 
  prejudice 
  the 
  results 
  depending 
  upon 
  a 
  different 
  class 
  

   of 
  remains. 
  In 
  point 
  of 
  fact, 
  no 
  discoveries 
  of 
  fossil 
  fishes 
  have 
  

   yet 
  been 
  made 
  which 
  tend 
  to 
  contradict 
  or 
  discredit 
  conclusions 
  

   already 
  established 
  on 
  the 
  basis 
  of 
  fossil 
  invertebrate 
  evidence. 
  

   The 
  known 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  is 
  in 
  all 
  respects 
  consonant 
  

   with, 
  and 
  one 
  is 
  tempted 
  to 
  add, 
  confirmatory 
  of 
  the 
  principles 
  that 
  

   have 
  been 
  formulated 
  from 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  latter. 
  We 
  find 
  simply 
  

   that 
  the 
  more 
  mobile 
  free-swimming 
  contingent 
  of 
  Devonic 
  faunas 
  

   followed 
  the 
  same 
  routes 
  and 
  penetrated, 
  probably 
  with 
  greater 
  

   facility, 
  into 
  the 
  same 
  areas 
  as 
  the 
  slower 
  moving 
  invertebrate 
  

   associates 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  fauna, 
  wherever 
  we 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  trace 
  its 
  

   migrations. 
  

  

  Nevertheless, 
  some 
  facts 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  Devonic 
  

   vertebrates 
  stand 
  out 
  with 
  such 
  distinctness 
  as 
  to 
  attract 
  particular 
  

   attention. 
  The 
  earlier 
  Devonic 
  horizons 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  are 
  

   singularly 
  deficient 
  in 
  fish 
  remains, 
  and 
  the 
  faunas 
  that 
  appear 
  suc- 
  

   cessively 
  in 
  the 
  Meso- 
  and 
  Neodevonic 
  are 
  introduced 
  with 
  little 
  

   or 
  no 
  foreshadowing, 
  save 
  that 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Hamilton 
  fish 
  

   fauna 
  are 
  largely 
  a 
  residuum 
  or 
  evolution 
  product 
  of 
  the 
  preceding 
  

   Onondaga 
  congeries. 
  Clearly, 
  however, 
  the 
  Mesodevonic 
  fish 
  

   faunas 
  are 
  not 
  indigenous 
  in 
  the 
  Appalachian 
  basin 
  for 
  we 
  meet 
  

   with 
  practically 
  the 
  same 
  assemblage 
  in 
  rocks 
  of 
  equivalent 
  age 
  

   elsewhere, 
  as 
  for 
  instance, 
  in 
  the 
  Eifel 
  district 
  (Calceola 
  beds) 
  and 
  

   Bohemia 
  (etages 
  F 
  2 
  and 
  G^G 
  3 
  ) 
  ; 
  and 
  besides, 
  the 
  Oriskanian 
  fauna 
  

   contains 
  no 
  elements, 
  so 
  far. 
  as 
  known, 
  out 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  Onondaea 
  

   might 
  have 
  developed. 
  The 
  vertebrate 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  is, 
  

   therefore, 
  quite 
  unmistakably 
  an 
  immigrant 
  fauna. 
  That 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  

   come 
  in 
  from 
  the 
  northeast 
  may 
  be 
  asserted 
  with 
  equal 
  confidence, 
  

   for 
  none 
  of 
  its 
  members 
  are 
  represented 
  in 
  the 
  maritime 
  provinces 
  

   of 
  eastern 
  North 
  America, 
  nor 
  indeed, 
  in 
  the 
  Lower 
  Old 
  Red 
  sand- 
  

   stone 
  of 
  North 
  Britain, 
  Greenland 
  or 
  Spitzbergen. 
  As 
  in 
  the 
  

   case 
  of 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  invertebrates, 
  the 
  Onondaga 
  fish 
  fauna 
  came 
  

   in 
  from 
  the 
  west, 
  and 
  in 
  course 
  of 
  time 
  very 
  probably 
  withdrew 
  

   westward, 
  many 
  of 
  its 
  characteristics 
  persisting 
  into 
  the 
  Hamilton 
  

   of 
  the 
  western 
  interior 
  province. 
  The 
  Hamilton 
  piscine 
  fauna 
  is 
  

   so 
  obviously 
  the 
  descendant 
  of 
  the 
  preceding 
  Onondaga, 
  and 
  these 
  

   two 
  together 
  have 
  so 
  much 
  in 
  common 
  with 
  the 
  Eifelian, 
  Bohemian 
  

   and 
  Russian 
  Mesodevonic, 
  as 
  to 
  confirm 
  in 
  the 
  strongest 
  possible 
  

   manner 
  the 
  contention 
  of 
  Professors 
  Clarke 
  and 
  Schuchert 
  that 
  the 
  

   Ulsterian 
  and 
  Erian 
  should 
  be 
  recognized 
  as 
  divisions 
  of 
  the 
  Middle 
  

   Devonic. 
  

  

  