370 The American Geologist. J""<^' '^'-'^'^■ 
While tliis pul)lication forms a welcome addition to the 
literature on Anierican fossil vertebrates, not the least in- 
teresting portion of it is that by professor Osborn on the 
"Distinctive characters of the Mid-Cretaceous Fauna/' and the 
introductory remarks of professor Lambe referring to the strat- 
igraphy and geology of the beds and region from which the 
material described by him was obtained. • 
Professor Osborn opens his discussion with the remark that 
"the determination by the Canadian Survey of a Mid- Cretace- 
ous and fresh-water fauna, including fishes, batrachians, rep- 
tiles and mammals, is a forward step of great importance in 
vertebrate paleontology." He points out that the survey has 
established beyond question on stratigraphical evidence the fact 
that the Belly River beds underlie the Montana or Pierre-Fox 
Hills group. He next points out the similarity in character be- 
tween the faunas of the Belly River beds of Canada and the 
Judith River beds of Montana, notices the more primitive na- 
ture of the faunas of both these series of deposits when com- 
pared with that of the Lance Creek (Ceratops) beds of Con- 
verse county, Wyoming, and arrives at the conclusion that "the 
fossil vertebrates hitherto described from Montana probably 
are, in part at least, of Mid-Cretaceous of Belly River age." 
This is a very notable and to my mind very proper conclusion, 
considering the fact that it w^as based entirely upon paleontolog- 
ical evidence, its author believing at that time that such strati- 
graphical evidences as did exist were directly opposed to such 
a conclusion, stating that "the geological records all place the 
Judith River beds proper above the F'ox Hills and Fort Pierre." 
The present writer has since called attention to the fact that the 
exact stratigraphic position of the Judith River beds relative to 
the Fort Pierre and Fox Hills is yet to be definitely determ- 
ined,* and that there is at present not a little evidence in favor 
of their lowermost members occupying a position below the 
Pierre which would favor the correlating of that portion of 
thtoi with the Belly River series, as was originally proposed by 
Dr. G. M. Dawson. 
I am aware that the late professor Cope regarded the Jud- 
ith River beds as overlying the Fox Hills and stated (p. 569, 
Bull. U. S. G. and Geogr. S. Terrs., Vol. HI.) that "In the 
• Science, N. S., vol. xvi, pp. 831-832. 
