'-?7<> The Anierieav GeolagUt. Dfccniber, 1892 
position of each fossil, but cvimi also in regard to the dcterinina- 
tion of tbe species. 
'I'lie Wichita division, well developt'd alonu the Big Wichita 
river, is composed of red sandstone and red clay, (^uite a largo 
number of vertel)rale fossils liave been found by Mr. Cummins, and 
descril)ed by professor K. !>. Cope. Some fishes, such as: Ccnit- 
(uhiH, CtciKxl IIS, Ctnuiciintliiis. etc., are Mesozoic forms well 
known in the European Dyas and Trias. Rei^)tiles and Bachtra- 
chians collected in Wiciuta division, recall also Meso/coic forms. 
Until now not a single locality or a minute stratigraphic position, 
of all those Texan fossil vertebrates has been revealed: professor 
Cope saying Old}- Texas, and Mr. Cummins being as much discreet; 
so other geologists cannot control the exactness of the age of the 
strata, and the true value of Messrs. Cummins' and (V)j)e"s dis- 
coveries in compaiMson with the well known localities and strati- 
graphic positions of the fossil vertebrates of Europe. The list 
given l)y professor Cope in the Srcom/ Aim. /it />. (irnl. Snrr. 
T'.ids. \)\). 4]<;-41!l. is absolut'4y useless. If Cuvier. Agassiz 
and others had lieen so reticent and had kept secret the localities 
from which came the fossils th<'V described and named, the science 
of C<iinp(ir<itii< I'lihioiifoliKiii,, and the classification of strata 
woukl not iiave I'eceived the great help derived from their works. 
The tendency of a few American vertebrate paheontologists 
not to divulge the localities from which they get their specimens, 
and to say only Texas! Wyonnng! etc., is anything but cred- 
itable. 
^Ir. Cummins has collected a Dyassic flora in the upi)er portion 
of the AVichita division, at the head of Godwin creek, Ba3'lor 
county. Professor T. C. AVhite has recognized in it, two Splicn- 
iijili i/ll II III, an Oi/iiiifit/jfrrix. a (Jn/li/jlm's. four ( 'ni/i/ifcrii/iiuiij 
eight Picoptcris, a Goii loptcris, and more specialh' a Wn/i/iin, 
so characteristic of the Dyassic flora in Europe. 
Tt is certain tluit the Wichita division l)elongs to the Dyas (Per- 
mian), and forms the upper part of that system in Texas. 
The next division, " Clear Fork beds," contains in its lower 
part, strata which ought to be united with the Wichita division. 
Such are the localities called: Camp and Godwin creeks and Mili- 
tary crossing in Archer and Baylor counties; in which Mr. Cnm- 
mins has found a certain nunil)erof fossil invertebrates. The list 
))Mblished, in the Srcoml Aim. lii/i. (/ml. Snrr. Ti.rax. p. 415, 
