58 
The American Geologist. 
January, 1896 
V. Proceedings of Scientific Laboratories, etc. 
Field Columbian Museum, Publication 5, Zool. ser., vol. 1, no. 1. On 
the structure and development of the vertebral column of Amia, O. P 
Hay. Pp. 1-54, pis. 1-3, Oct., 1895. 
Same, Pub. 7, Zool. ser., vol. 1, no. 2. On certain portions of the skel¬ 
eton of Protostega gigas, O. P. Hay. Pp. 55-62, pis. 4-5, Nov. 21, 1895. 
CORRE SPON DENCE. 
A Question of Priority. My attention has lately been called to a 
note bearing the above title and written by Mr. W. F. Cummins, which 
appeared in the American Geologist for June, 1895, (pp. 395-396). As 
this note puts me in the entirely false position of attempting to substi¬ 
tute a name of my own for a formation first described and named by 
Mr. Cummins, it calls for a brief reply. 
Some years ago I received a small collection of fossils from Phillips 
county, Kansas, from beds which had always been called Loup Fork. 
These fossils, and a list made out for me by Mr, Hatcher of those which 
he had collected in the same locality, proved to be very puzzling. 
Characteristic Loup Fork genera, like Aphelops and Protohippus , were 
mingled with much more modernized forms, such as Equus, Hippidium 
and ? Eschatius, while for the first time in the history of North America, 
South American edentates ( Caryoderma and an unidentified genus) 
make their appearance. No unconformity has, so far, been reported or 
suspected between the strata in which this assemblage of forms is 
found and those of a lower level which have yielded only the ordinary 
Loup Fork mammals. 
While hesitating whether to propose a new name for these Phillips 
county beds, I received Prof. Cope’s report on the fossils of the Llano 
Estacado, which showed that nearly the same association of types 
occurred in Texas as in Kansas, and, as there appeared to be an uncon¬ 
formity implied in the introductory note, I thought a Texas name would 
be the more appropriate. On Prof. Cope’s suggestion the name Palo 
Duro was selected. 
Some time after the publication of the abstract of my paper read be- 
foreThe Geological Society of America at the Boston meeting; I first met 
with Mr. Cummins’ paper in the Fourth Annual Report of the Texas 
Survey, and in writing the table of Tertiary mammals for the fourth 
edition of Dana’s Manual of Geology I made use of the term “Good¬ 
night beds.” Prof. Dana declined to employ this name on the ground 
that it was a most unfortunate one. For this decision I cannot hold 
myself responsible. 
So far as I am aware, the name “Goodnight beds” has not yet been 
used by others than Mr. Cummins; it is therefore quite within his 
power to change it for one less objectionable, and it is much to be hoped 
that he will do so. As the credit of the discovery is entirely his, 
whatever name he decides to employ will stand. I can only express 
regret at having unwittingly wronged him by overlooking his claims to 
priority. W. B. Scott. 
Princeton, N. J., Dec. 2, 1895. 
