﻿500 
  W. 
  H. 
  TWELVETREES 
  CM 
  UPPER 
  PERMIAN 
  

  

  The 
  question 
  is 
  therefore 
  left 
  where 
  I 
  found 
  it. 
  Being 
  merely 
  a 
  

   matter 
  of 
  nomenclature, 
  it 
  is 
  comparatively 
  unimportant. 
  

  

  When 
  Mr. 
  Rickard 
  and 
  I 
  were 
  travelling 
  together 
  in 
  the 
  govern- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  Simbirsk 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1879, 
  we 
  saw 
  hanging 
  in 
  the 
  

   public 
  library 
  of 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Simbirsk, 
  on 
  the 
  Volga, 
  a 
  geological 
  chart 
  

   entitled 
  " 
  Jasikoff's 
  Table 
  of 
  the 
  Rocks 
  of 
  the 
  Government 
  of 
  Sim- 
  

   birsk, 
  published 
  by 
  the 
  Imperial 
  Mineralogica] 
  Society 
  of 
  St. 
  Peters- 
  

   burg." 
  In 
  this 
  aperpu 
  of 
  the 
  relations 
  of 
  the 
  rocks 
  of 
  Simbirsk 
  and 
  

   neighbouring 
  governments 
  the 
  Trias 
  was 
  represented 
  as 
  occurring 
  

   in 
  the 
  government 
  of 
  Orenburg 
  (Ufa), 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  rivers 
  

   Sheshma, 
  Koochooa, 
  Zaee 
  and 
  Igenee, 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  variegated 
  

   sandstones 
  of 
  a 
  thickness 
  approximately 
  estimated 
  at 
  200 
  feet, 
  and 
  

   containing 
  the 
  following 
  fossils 
  — 
  Gypris 
  Pyrrhce, 
  Eichwald, 
  Mytilns 
  

   castor, 
  Eichwald, 
  Convalla 
  rites 
  erecta, 
  Brongn., 
  Pterophyllum, 
  Ncu- 
  

   ropteris, 
  Cyclopteris, 
  Calamites. 
  

  

  Mytilus 
  castor 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  other 
  than 
  our 
  Kargalinsk 
  Unio 
  castor 
  

   ( 
  = 
  If. 
  umbonatus) 
  : 
  and 
  this 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  indicate 
  that 
  Jasikoff's 
  

   Triassic 
  series 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  horizon. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand 
  Conval- 
  

   larites 
  erecta—Schizoneura 
  ]>arado.v,tichim\)ei',Tr{iit6 
  de 
  Paleontologic 
  

   vogetale, 
  tome 
  i. 
  p. 
  282, 
  pi. 
  xiv., 
  is 
  a 
  plant 
  the 
  branches 
  and 
  leaves, 
  

   of 
  which 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  Bunter 
  sandstone 
  of 
  the 
  Yosgcs 
  ("dans 
  le 
  gres 
  

   bigarre 
  BUpefieur 
  dea 
  Vosges," 
  Schimp. 
  p. 
  282). 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  seen 
  

   or 
  heard 
  of 
  it 
  from 
  the 
  Kargalinsk 
  series, 
  and, 
  having 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  

   many 
  infelicities 
  in 
  determination 
  for 
  which 
  the 
  early 
  describcrs 
  of 
  

   fossil 
  remains 
  from 
  this 
  field 
  are 
  responsible, 
  I 
  dare 
  say 
  no 
  more 
  than 
  

   that 
  the 
  alleged 
  discovery 
  requires 
  corroboration. 
  Jasikoff 
  has 
  been 
  

   dead 
  many 
  years 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  believe 
  his 
  Triassic 
  theory 
  has 
  not 
  gained 
  

   much 
  support 
  in 
  Ilussia. 
  

  

  Fish-remains 
  are 
  found 
  sometimes 
  in 
  the 
  marls, 
  but 
  mostly 
  as 
  

   fragmentaiy 
  impressions. 
  Genera 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  positively 
  identified 
  

   are 
  Paheoniscus, 
  Amblypterus, 
  and 
  Platysomus 
  in 
  true 
  heterocercal 
  

   forms. 
  

  

  Teeth 
  and 
  bones 
  of 
  Labyrinthoclonts 
  occur 
  but 
  rarely 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  

   satisfactory 
  enough 
  for 
  description. 
  The 
  same 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  of 
  the 
  

   reptilian 
  remains. 
  Parts 
  of 
  jaws 
  and 
  teeth 
  of 
  Rhopalodon, 
  Fischer, 
  

   and 
  Denterosaurus, 
  Eichwald, 
  and 
  humeri 
  with 
  entepicondylar 
  

   foramina 
  occur 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time. 
  The 
  characters 
  of 
  these 
  remains 
  

   are 
  those 
  of 
  Owen's 
  order 
  Theriodontia. 
  Whether 
  such 
  characters 
  are 
  

   really 
  ordinal 
  or 
  merely 
  of 
  family 
  value 
  is, 
  I 
  take 
  it, 
  still 
  sub 
  judice. 
  

   The 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  arguments 
  pro 
  and 
  contra 
  depends 
  largely 
  on 
  indi- 
  

   vidual 
  estimate 
  of 
  what 
  constitutes 
  ordinal 
  characters. 
  I 
  think 
  Cope's 
  

   work 
  in 
  America 
  will, 
  when 
  completed, 
  greatly 
  assist 
  us 
  in 
  our 
  con- 
  

   clusions 
  respecting 
  Theriodonts. 
  However, 
  these 
  Kargalinsk 
  remains 
  

   betoken 
  reptiles 
  of 
  a 
  high 
  grade, 
  and 
  are 
  especially 
  interesting 
  as 
  

   coming 
  from 
  Permian 
  rocks 
  ; 
  for, 
  whatever 
  may 
  be 
  thought 
  about 
  

   the 
  upper 
  rocks 
  further 
  west, 
  where 
  perhaps 
  there 
  is 
  (though 
  not 
  

   demonstrated) 
  a 
  passage 
  upwards 
  into 
  the 
  Trias, 
  these 
  remains 
  are 
  

   in 
  beds 
  well 
  down 
  in 
  the 
  sandstone 
  series. 
  If 
  Triassic 
  fossils 
  are 
  to 
  

   be 
  looked 
  for 
  in 
  the 
  Kargalinsk 
  district, 
  they 
  should 
  be 
  sought 
  at 
  

   Droojeloobny, 
  high 
  up 
  on 
  the 
  Obstschi 
  Sirt, 
  where 
  horizontal 
  beds 
  

  

  