﻿REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR I9IO 157 



is so close that the outside correlation of the one may be regarded 

 as equally affecting the other. 



Correlation of the Nova Scotia faunas 



In the light of these facts the history of the correlation of the 

 Nova Scotia faunas is of peculiar interest here. 



Dawson considered their position in the geologic column and their 

 relationships abroad very thoroughly and discussed these points in 

 some detail in his Acadian Geology, 1 from which the following sum- 

 mary is extracted : 



" The earliest statement as to their age was that of Mr R. Brown, 

 in Hamilton's ' Nova Scotia.' He correctly regarded the limestones 

 of northern Cumberland as lower Carboniferous, on the evidence of 

 their stratigraphical position as underlying the Cumberland coal- 

 field." 



In the central part of the province these rocks were referred to 

 the " New Red Sandstone." In 1841 Sir William Logan took the 

 beds below the Windsor limestones at Windsor, Nova Scotia, to be 

 Coal Measures and referred the limestones to the Permic. In 1843 

 Lyell explored the Avon-Pictou region and doubted Logan's cor- 

 relation. His views were subsequently confirmed by Dawson and 

 Brown. Davidson found many of the brachiopods to be identical 

 with those of the British " Carboniferous Limestone." De Koninck 

 confirmed Davidson's view and correlated them directly with the 

 Carbonic limestones of Vise, Belgium. Nevertheless the red sand- 

 stones, marls and pelecypod fauna recalled to their minds the rocks 

 and fauna of the Permic system, the " Bakewellias " playing an 

 important role in this respect, and it was also pointed out that they 

 did not suggest the Carbonic of the United States, but the Permo- 

 carbonic, Newberry and Meek both remarking upon it. 

 ' In the last edition of Acadian Geology, Dawson clearly summarizes 

 his views on the age of the rocks and the peculiarities of the fauna. 

 In number 6 of these statements (p. 284) he says: "It is evident 

 that the marine fauna of the Lower Carboniferous in Nova Scotia 

 more nearly resembles that of Europe than that of the western 

 states. This is no doubt connected with the fact that the Atlantic 

 was probably an unobstructed sea basin as now, while the Appa- 

 lachians already, in part, separated the deep sea faunas of the Car- 

 boniferous seas east and west of them ..." and again : 



" It is a matter of regret to me that I have not had the time fully 



Dawson, Acadian Geology, p. 278-85. 1878. 



