1911] Merriam: Saurian Fauna of Spitzbergen. 



327 



seen in the Middle Triassic of Nevada. There is as yet insuffi- 

 cient evidence to permit an interpretation of this Nevada 

 material. It is not impossible that specialized short-limbed forms 

 were beginning to appear in the Nevada Middle Triassic, though 

 not yet an important or dominant type as in the Upper Triassic. 



On the whole, such evidence as is available suggests that the 

 saurian fauna of the Spitzbergen Triassic is not far removed in 

 time from the Cymbospondylus fauna of the Middle Triassic of 

 Nevada, and that it is also near the age of the Mixosaurus fauna 

 of the Besano Beds of Italy. It may also be assumed that at 

 the period in which these faunas flourished there was free com- 

 munication between the sea areas of the Spitzbergen, Nevada, 

 and north Italian regions. 



Transmitted July 28, 1911 



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