TRIASSIC FISHES FROM SPITZBERGEN 
XV 
Arctic ocean with that of the Pacific region over Bering Strait and the east of Asia. 
He is of the opinion that this communication was developed already in the Skytic time. 
While during the Anisic time this would have been the only communication even 
for a region situated as far to the west as Spitzbergen, with regard to the Skytic 
time, on the other hand, he comes to the conclusion that, to judg-e from the conditions in 
Spitzbergen, ad least a second one was then in existence, namely with the ocean of the 
Mediterranean region. He writes as follows about this (pp. 514—515): «Die Entwicklung 
der Untertrias auf der Axelinsel (Spitzbergen) stimmt vollstandig iiberein mit der Werfener 
Entwicklung im Mediterrangebiet, die ihren ostlichsten Vorposten bis in das Quellgebiet 
des Jenissei am Zusammenflufl der Teplaja und des Uss aussendet. Es ist nicht ausge- 
schlossen, dafl jenes Meer, das wahrend eines so langen Zeitraumes der Anthrakolithischen 
Periode das zentrale Gfirtelmeer Eurasiens fiber Nowaja Semlja mit dem Arktischen 
Meere verband, selbst wahrend der skythischen Epoche noch nicht vollstandig trocken 
gelegt war. Ein schmaler Mceresarm am Ostabhang des Urals mag, ahnlich wie im 
Oberjura, an der Perm- und Triasperiode den Angarakontinent von Fenoskandia zeit- 
weilig getrennt haben. Zur Zeit der anisischen Stufe war eine solche Meeresverbindung 
zwischen Russisch-Turkestan, beziehungsweise dem Gouvernement Jenisseislc, und dem 
Polarmeer durch die Obi-Niederung, wofern sie wahrend der skythischen Epoche 
fiberhaupt bestanden haben sollte, jedenfalls erloschen.» 
During the Skytic time he does not consider it impossible either that there was 
a second communication between the ocean of the Arctic and Mediterranean regions 
much farther to the west (p. 535). «Ein solcher Zusammenhang wfirde», he says, «die 
mit der alpinen so aufierordentlich nahe fibereinstimmende Entwicklung der Werfener 
Schichten auf der Axel-Insel (Spitzbergen) erklaren». He considers, however, that this 
communication ceased during the Anisic time. 
Stratigraphical observations made by the author. 
My own work on the Triassic formation was devoted chiefly to collecting vertebrates 
from the fish horizon, and it was therefore on the whole only more or less in exceptional 
cases that I had opportunities for stratigraphical studies. Consequently the account given 
below makes no claim at all to completeness. 
General remarks. — All the Triassic localities investigated by me belong to the 
Ice Fjord district and are as follows: The tract of land on the west side of Ekman 
Bay between Cape Svea and Sefstrom’s Glacier, Dickson Land, the south coast of the 
Sassen Bay, and the land surrounding the Sassen Valley. The position of these places 
is shown by the sketch map in fig. a, which also contains the names of the most important 
localities of the finds. These are as follows, enumerated from west to east:. 
Mt Bertil, Mt Lundbohm, Cape Svea (the cuttings of the streamlets on the tundra) 
Mt Congress, Mt Tschermak, Mt Sture, Mt Saurie, Mt Rotunda (with student Valley), 
Corrie Down (the mountain between De Geer Valley and Flower Valley)*), Mt Marmier, 
'*) The name of this mountain was introduced into the literature already by Conway in 1897 but, curiously 
enough, it has not been accepted by de Geer, who leaves the mountain unnamed both on the map of 1910 and 
•that of 1912. In many other cases too de Geer has omitted several names introduced by Conway. 
