New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-03-16
oRED1TABLB GEOLOGICAL WORK.

Part of the fruits of an elaborate geological
research are embodied in a volume which has
lust been issued by the State Museum at AL
bany. The work relates to the fossil remains
of a primitive class of organisms known as
graptolites and has been prepared by Rudolf
Ruedemann, assistant State paleontologist
These creatures existed at that stage of the
earth's history when the rocks Of the Cambrian
and Surian periods were deposited, and ante
dated the fishes, reptiles, birds and mammals,
which had more complicated structures. Little
of the original substance Of the graptolites has
been preserved by conversion Into stone, but
their forms are distinctly outlined In the layers
Of soft shale which bear testimony concerning
them. The late James Hall discussed the
earlier specimens which were discovered in
New-York State. Mr.. Ruedemann describes
those which have been found here more recent
", and reviews with ability and in compre-
henSive fashion the American and foreign lit
erature regarding what must be considered one
Of the worlds Oldest families. Biologists will,
of course, appreciate the performance more
keenly than the uninitiated. but the Empire
State is to be congratulated on having on its
scientific staff a man who is capable Of doing
such valuable work.
Graptolites were not only exceedingly abun-
dant in theiE dag. but, according to Mr.. Ruede-
mann, their wide distribution over the globe
had no parallel among the other animal forms
of that remote period. This fact has bearing
on the arrangement Of land and water at the
time, which. 1t is hardly necessary to say, was
very different from that now observed. A natu-
ralist named Frech a few years ago designed a
chart of the Cambrian and Silurian oceans, bas-
ing his outlines on the distribution Of trilobttes,
another group of ancient inhabitants. which,
like the graptolites, had a marine residence.
Now when the fossils of the two classes of or
ganism are compared certain differences are per-
ceived. These may be due 70 the fact that the
! trilobites lived in shallow water and near the
edges Of the then existing seas, whereas the
| graptolites appear to have required q greater
depth. At any rate Mr.. Ruedemann thinks that
| the discrepancies, some Of which are wide, may
| make it necessary to reorganize the geography
of the age in which the graptolites fourished.
| Several biological questions are discussed In
! the Albany report. One of the problems which
naturalists have tried to solve is whether Crap
/ tolites were stationary or moved about. The
opinion is expressed by the assistant paleontoo-
| gst of New-York that some of them were at
! tached to the sea bottom or other fixed OBJ
| jects, some were suspended from sea weeds
| and some fioated free like the class of organ
| isms known collectively as "plankton." Several
| genera, each including a number of species,
have been recognized but the variations of
|
that there were independent lines of ances
! try, instead of only one. Professor Osborn
curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Amer
| lean Museum Of Natural History. is inclined to
believe that the same thing is true of the horses
| camels, elephants and certain other mammals
| which once lived on this continent. His views
and those of Mr.. Ruedemann to some extent
support each other Whether the graptolites
have any lineal descendants today is another
point that has been much debated. Perhaps the
closest resemblance to them at present is found
in what biologists call sertutarians, but there is
q wide gap in point of time between the disap
pearance OF the earlier family and the appear
ance of the later one, and their relationship ID
more than doubtful. Mr. Ruedemann, in har
mony with other modern authorities, depre
| Gates any attempt to unite the graptolites with
| any class OF living forms. At the same time
| however, he wishes 10 emphasize the neces
| "sity of using a group OF similar forms as
Tmeans Of reconstructing IL only by analogies