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CHAPTER V. 

 Devonian, 



Marine Devonian sediments have certainly a very considerable extension 

 in southern China ; the fossiliferous deposits of this age are developed not 

 only in the tracts of the folded rocks — the Tsin-ling mountains and the Indo- 

 Chinese mountain range (i.e. in the provinces of Yun-nan, Sze-chuan, Shen-si 

 and Kan-su), but also in other districts in the provinces of K\vang-si, Kwei- 

 chou and Hu nan. Beyond the boundary e f China proper, the'r occurrence is 

 reported from Tong-king, Birma, Central Asia, Kweun-lun and Altai. 

 Throughout these regions, the Devonian formation is represented only by its 

 upper and middle divisions, but not by the lower ; and hence it has been sug- 

 gested that the marine transgression began in central and eastern Asia with 

 the earlier part of the Middle Devonian (Kweun-lun transgression). It 

 is now also well known that the Upper and Middle Devonian fauna of Asia 

 are hardly distinguishable from those of Europe, as typified by the Eifelian 

 faunas. 



The first record of Chieese Devonian fossils was probably that given by 

 M. DE KoNiNCK, who found in a lot of fossils from a locahty in the province of 

 Yun-nan, lOO leagues west of Kwan-tung, 



Spirifcr cJicchicl Koninxk, 



Tcri'bratu/a yitimanciisis Yi.om'S.CK, 



Sfi-piila oinphalodcs Goldfuss, 

 and noted at the same time the occurrence of a common form of StropJialosia 

 in China. T. Davidson obtained similar material, which was said to have 

 been derived from the province ofKwan-si, and distinguished the following 

 forms : 



Spirifcr disjuiictiis Sow. 



1) KoNiNXK: Notice sur deux esp&ces de brachiopodes du terrain paleozoique de la Chine. 

 Bull Acad, de Belgique, vol. XIII., pt. 2, p. 415. 



2) Davidson: On Some Fossil Brachiopods of the Devonian Age from China. Quart. Journ. 

 Geol. Soc. Lone" on, vol. IX., 1853, p. 353. 



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