134 E, C. Case — Amphibian Fauna at Linton, Ohio. 



The climatic environment of the fauna. 



The flora of the region around Linton has been reported upon 

 by David White. His lisf^ of the plants of the Freeport 

 group contains no forms differing especially from those of the 

 whole Allegheny series, and all indicate the existence of a 

 '' singularly equable and humid but not tropical or even semi- 

 tropical climate." There is no evidence either in the woody 

 growth foliage, florescence, or fruition of any seasonal changes, 

 either of temperature or of humidity. In other words, the 

 animals lived in a period characterized by the extreme monot- 

 ony of the climatic environment. 



The organic enmronment. 



The organic environment of any animal or group of animals 

 may be defined as the group of contacts of that animal with 

 other forms of life. Normally, the organic environment com- 

 prises both the flora and fauna, but in this instance the animals 

 were not, so far as we can see, influenced by the vegetation 

 more than that they profited by the shade of the umbrageous 

 growths, sought refuge in the interstices of submerged roots, 

 or possibly fed upon some forms of the algge in the pool. 

 None of these factors would have left any readable record in 

 the morphology of the animals. The list of the flora occurring 

 in the shales accompanying the coals of the Freeport group has 

 been cited above. 



The character of the contacts loithin the fauna. 



The list of known amphibians from Linton as given by 

 Moodief inchides 51 species. The genera are as follows : 



Brachyclectes 



Cercariom orphus 



Cocytinus 



Ctenerpetom 



Diceratosaurus 



Eoserpeton 



Erpetosaurus 



Eiirythorax 



Hyphasma 



Ichthycanthiis 



Leptophr actus 



Macrerpeton 



Molgophis 



* White, David, Bull. Geol. Soc. Am., vol. i, page 154, 1900. 

 f Moodie, Eoy L., Publication 238, Carnegie Institution of Washington 

 page 18, 1916. 



