18 CATALOG OF FOSSIL FISHES IN THE MUSEUM 



All the evidence points to the fact that the Conodont bed was 

 deposited close to shore. On such a view we can readily explain the 

 great abundance of Conodont teeth in the formation: we may con- 

 ceive that the annelids they represent lived in shallow water, or, 

 indeed, on the beach itself, and thus would be washed into the de- 

 posit near shore. It seems probable, also, that some of the remains, 

 for instance the dipnoan dental plates, were carried down by a river 

 which emptied close to the location of the Conodont bed sediments. 

 It appears not unHkely that the Conodont bed was a sand-bar, or a 

 series of sandbars, at times exposed to the air, and situated in close 

 proximity to the mouth of a river. Such conditions would account 

 for aU the peculiar circumstances connected with this formation — ' 

 (i) its occurrence in lenticular patches; (2) the broken and abraded 

 condition of the fossils, as well as the admixture of pebbles and frag- 

 mental matter; (3) the abundance of Conodont teeth; (4) the pres- 

 ence of fragments of fossil wood; (5) the commingling of fresh- water 

 with marine forms; and lastly (6) account for the great diversity of 

 forms present. 



Genundewa and West River (Genesee) 



In the Genundewa (or Styliola layer), fossil fishes are rather rare 

 despite the fact that the layer rests directly on the Conodont bed 

 (where this is present), in which fossils are so abundant. There are 

 only a few remains from this formation in the Buffalo museum. 

 Among them is a small slab containing associated ventral plates of 

 a small dinichthyid, perhaps Selenosteus; and a plate which seems 

 referable to Acanthaspis armata. 



From the West River shale, which overlies the Genundewa, only 

 two specimens have thus far been collected — a plate of Holonema 

 abhreviata (Eastman), and the impression of a mandible of Dinomy- 

 lostoma bufaloensis. They came from a band of limestone a few 

 feet above the Genundewa. 



In addition to the above mentioned specimens, a Gyracanthus 

 spine, representing a new species, was collected from a Genesee hori- 

 zon near Canandaigua Lake, by Prof. Clifton J. Sarle, which is de- 

 scribed on a subsequent page of this catalog. • 



Rhinestreet {Portage) 



The Rhinestreet, or "Black Naples," shale is well developed in 

 the vicinity of Buffalo, having a total thickness In Erie County of 



