Friedrich Schmidt

“ In coming to America it was my wish to become more intimately acquainted with the different Silurian stages, and especially with those adjacent to the Waterlime group, i.e., with the Onondaga and Guelph limestones on the one side and the Tentaculite limestone on the other. It would perhaps be possible to find other connecting links in the development of life in both countries. ”

“ One of the uppermost divisions of the Silurian system of the state of New York and western Canada, the Waterlime group, is characterized by a peculiar fauna of large crustaceans, Eurypterus, Pterygotus, Ceratiocaris, etc. It has already been said by Sir Rhoderick Murchison that this fauna shows a great resemblance to similar crustacean faunas of the uppermost Silurian strata of Great Britain, the shales of Lesmahago in Lanarkshire and in some places near Ludlow, where the crustaceans are associated with a small Lingula, the characteristic Platyschisma helicites, and divers fish remains. ”

“ The most famous locality of our Eurypterus beds is Rootzikull, near Kielkond. Here, besides the crustaceans, we have also found fish remains—two cephalaspidean genera, Thyestes, Eich., and Tremataspis, described some years ago by Eichwald, Pander and myself. ”