GRAPTOLITES OF NEW YORK, PART 2 459 



The chief interest of this dwarfed straggler centers about its geologic 

 position. It not only represents the last appearance ot the important 

 genus MonOgraptus but also ot all Graptoloidea or graptolites proper, only 

 Dendroidea being observed thereafter. Since also a small Monograptus 

 has been obtained in the lowest Bohemian Devonic (I\), the occurrence- of 

 this Monograptus could not be used as argument for the Siluric age of the 

 Lower Helderberg beds ; while, on the other hand, after the closing of the 

 Hercynian controversy and the relegation of the Hartz graptolite shales to 

 the Siluric, it still serves to emphasize the fact that, after all, Monograptus 

 persisted into the Devonic era. 



cyrtograptus Carruthers 



The character distinguishing Cyrtograptus from Monograptus is the 

 presence of secondary branches on one side of the mostly curiously curved 

 stipes. This offshoot of the Monograptidae was very short-lived ; it is 

 restricted to the middle Siluric, but there so prominent that no less than 

 four zones are characterized by its species. 



The Siluric rocks of North America have not before furnished any 

 representatives of this peculiar genus and the discovery of a species in the 

 Western Niagaran may eventually become of some interest in connection 

 with paleogeographic problems. 



Cyrtograptus ulrichi sp. nov. 1 



Plate 29, figure 4 



The collection of graptolites, kindly placed at my disposal by Dr 

 Ulrich, contains three small slabs of a dark chocolate-brown limestone that 

 are densely covered with middle sized, slender, gracefully curved branches 

 of a graptolite, totally distinct in form from all other American graptolites. 



1 Named in honor of Dr E. O. Ulrich to whom we owe the discovery or rather 

 rediscovery of this most interesting graptolite. This indefatigable geologist, on reading 

 that Shumard over 50 years ago noted the presence of a graptolite in the Bainbridge sec- 

 tion, determined to locate and collect it. Shumard's section and statement that one of the 

 layers is full of a graptolite is published on page 262 of the Report of Missouri for T855—JI. 



