New-York tribune., 1877-09-01


oRGAStc RFMays-AMgRrCA THE BIRTHPLACE
OF SEARLY ALL TIE LARGE ANIMALs-THE OR
DER or CHANGES HERE THAT CuLMNiTED IN
TIE MoNKKY-MAS's ARRIVAL PROM ASIA BE-
POgE TIE PRESENT GEOLOGICAL EPOCH.
The following are the principal features
OF an address which was delivered ON Thursday
at Nashville by Prof o. c. Marsh OF Sew-Ha'en'
before the American Association for the Advanccmcnt
Of cienco he being OF the two VioePresidcn's OF
The Associaton and President OF Section A, which
is devoted to geology and biology. The te OF the ad-
dress IT, Introduction and Succession OF Vertebrate
Lifo In America"
THE ADDRESS.
The origin Of e and the order Of succession Tn when
is various forms have appeared upon tho earh ohef %
science IT'S inviting and most dflcat held OF ~
search Although the primal origin OF iife Is nnhh0"h'
aud may perhaps be known yet no one has rght
to say how much of The mystery now surrounding 1t
science cannot remove. II Is certainly within the DO
main OF sance 10 determine when the earth was irst
fitted 10 receive hfc and in what form the earliest ne
began To trace that life in its manifold changes through
past ages TO the present Is more dca task Out oh9
from which modern science does not shrink. In lhiS
wide field, every earnest effort VIII meet s0inc ueSrc oi
success every year will add new and important Iac's
AMI every generation will bring 10 light some law, IN
accordance with which ancient life has been changed INTO
life a. we see 1t to-day. That such develop
ncpt has taken place, no one will doubt who has care
fully traced any single group OF animals through i,s past
history, recorded in the crust Of the earth The ev
dence will be especially conclusive, If the group selected
belongs 10 The higher forms OF life, which sensitive
10 every change In their surroundings But am sure
need offer here no argument for eyouon since TO doubt
evolution to-day is 10 doubt science, and science IS only
another name for truth.
EARLIEST FISHES or THIS CONTINENT
According to present knowledge, no vertebrate .ife u
known have existed this continent In the Afch6n
Csmbrian, silurian periods; yet during tins time
more than half OF the thickness Of American siaiied
rocks was deposited It by no means follows that yer
brate animals some kind did not exist here in those re-
mote ages Fishes arc known from the Upper Silnr-
ian Of Europe, and there is probability that they
will yet be discovered in strata Of the same age, II
not az a sin lower horizon.
In the shore deposits OF the carly Deyouau sea- known
the schoharie Grit, characteristic remains of Fishes
were preserved, and In the deeper that followed IN
which the C0luiierous Limestone was lad down, tbs
class was well represented During the remainder Of the
Deyonlan Fishes continue abundant in The siallowcr
seas. and far known, were tho only type Of
vertebrate life.
with the close OF the Devonian came the almost total
extinction OF the great group Of Pac0derns, while the
Elasmobranchs which had hitherto occupied a subord
nate position Increase numbers aud size and appear
10 De represented ~ Sharks, Rays, and Chmeras
The Elasmobrnchs were the rulers OF the Carboneious
open sea- ana more than hundred species have been
found in the lower part OF this formation alone Ihe
Gauoids although sin abundant, OF smaller size
snd donzens OF the shallow and confined waters
From The Pcrmian rocks OF America vertebrate re-
mains are known, although in the same formation Of
Europe GaEods arc abundant; and with them are re
mains OF Sharks, and other fishes, the ahinities of
which are doubtful The Paie0zOe fishes at present
known this country quite as numerous aS those
found in Europe.
In tho Mesozoic age the Fishes Of America begin TO
show decided approach those Of present waters
From the Triassic rocks Ganoids only known, and
they all or less closely roa!ed 10 the modern
Gar-pikc, or Lepidosteus From the Jurassie
deposits no remains OF fishes are known but in toe Gre
taccous, chthyic lie assumed many ana various forms;
and the first representatives OF the Tcleoss. or oaSy
fishes the characteristic fishes Of to-day make their ap
pearancc
The Terary fishes nearly all Of modern types. and
from the beginning OF this period there vas compare
lively little change In the marine beds, Sharks, Rays
and Chimaroids maintained their supremacy. although
Teosts we're ab nt and many OF them Of largo size.
The Gonobls were comparatively few in number IN the
earliest Eocene freshwater deposits. 10 is interesting 20
and that the modern Garpke and Anta, the Dosish OK
our western lakes w3ch by their structure TO
be remnants OF very early type are wen represented
by species closely allied to them that only an anato-
mist could separate the ancient from the modern.
The almost toel absence OF remains Of fles from The
Moeene Lake basins of the West remarkable fact.
and perhaps may best be explained by tic theory that
these inland waters. Ike OF the smalerlakes the
same region to-day, were 80 imprcgnaed with mineral
matters 10 the existence of vertebrate life IN
them impossible No who has tasted sHch waters
has attempted to ford OF the modern alkaline lakes
which are often met with the present surface Of
the same deposits will doubt the efficiency OF this cause,
or the easy eIombmcnt of the higher veTebraes that
ventured within their borders In the Plocene lake
basins Of the 81 region remains Of fishes not un
common and in Of them are very numerous. These
are all of modern types, and most Of them are Cyprnod
related 10 the modern Carp. The PostpOeene fishes are
essentially those OF to-day.
THE AMPHIBIANs.
The Amphbians the next higher class Of vertebrates,
are so closely related to the fishes in structure that
peculiar forms of tho latter have been considered by
anatoniss belonging 10 this group. The earliest evil
dence OF Amphibian existence on this continent is in
the Sub-Carbcniferous, where footprints have been
found which were probably made by Labyrnthodons,
the most ancient representatives OF the class.
No Amphibia are known from American Permian
strata but in Trlassie, few characteristic remains
have been found.
The Anphbia nearly allied 20 the GanOid fishes
that we can hardly doubt their descent from
ber of that group. With present limited knowledge
of the extinct forms, however would be Improbable
TO attempt to trace in detail their probable gepeaiogy.
The authors to whom especial credit Is a&c for our
knowledge OF American fossil Fishes and Amphibians
are Newbcrry, Leidy Cope Dawson, Agass sz, ST. John
Gibbes, Wymau, Redfeld and Emmons, and the prnei-
pal literature OF the subject Will be found in their publ
cations.
ABUNDANCE OF REPTILES.
Reptiles aud Birds form the great division Of YER
tebrates sauropsda and of these the Reptiles are
the older type and may be first considered. While it
may he stated with certainty thai there present no
evidence OF the existence Of this group In American
rocks older than the CarbonfeTous there is doubt
in regard to their appearance even in this period.
hoe haap afaft tFo Al,ao u