GEOLOGY. 313 



neither shells, or even casts of shells, had been discovered. An 

 important geological inference was supported by Dr. M., as deducible 

 from these tacts. Here we have ova with aquatic plants, (apparently 

 fluviatile,) and the remains of ganoid fishes, which, for aught we 

 know to the contrary, may, like the recent Lepidostei, have been 

 inhabitants of rivers ; and with no vestiges of shells or other marine 

 organisms ; phenomena which lead us to inquire whether the lower 

 Devonian strata of Forfarshire may not be of fluviatile, or fluvio- 

 inarine origin ; whether, in fact, we have not here indications of the 

 intercalation of a series of fresh water deposites in the marine forma- 

 tion, called the old red-sandstone of Scotland ? Future observations 

 will determine the solidity of this novel, but highly probable, sug- 



festion. Should this view be established by future discoveries, Dr. 

 iantell will have the singular good fortune to be the first geologist 

 who predicated the presence of fresh water deposites in the palaeozoic 

 formations of Scotland, as he established by his own researches the 

 fluviatile character of the Wealden of the south-east of England. 

 tSttliman's Journal. 



1*LOEA OF THE TERTIARY FORMATION. 



THE Flora of the tertiary formation has been hitherto, compara- 

 tively speaking, far less known than that of the coal formation which 

 is of a far older date : and even in Silesia, notwithstanding its 



^5 



numerous and important deposites of brown coal, the entire amount of 

 leaves, blossoms and fruits belonging to this formation exclusive of 

 stems of trees, did not exceed forty-three species up to the close of 

 last vear. Since then, however, a discovery has been made which in 



V / 



a few months has already brought more treasures to light, than Monte 

 Bolca in Italy, and the celebrated deposit of Oeuingen in Germany, 

 have done in a century. This new deposite was discovered by the Su- 

 perior Councillor of Mines, Yon Oeynhausen, near the end of January, 

 of this year, in the immediate neighborhood of Breslau, at Schossnitz 

 near Kauth on the railroad : it is a bed of fossil plants in tertiary 

 clay, and is unique in richness, variety and admirable preservation. 

 From the end of January up to the beginning of March, there 

 were already discovered no less than 130 species in about six cwt. of 

 clay, and every fresh quantity examined gave additional results. Dr. 

 Goppert has read a very interesting paper upon the results of the 

 examination thus far made before the natural history section of the 

 Breslau Society. The clay is of a whitish color ; the plants seldom 

 preserve their original texture, but usually occur as impressions of a 

 pale brown color, in which, however, they are displayed with such 

 precision that even the delicate authors of the catkins of the willow 

 tribe arc- readily distinguished. These anthers, as well as those of the 

 male catkins of the plane tribe, occasionally exhibit the pollen. With 

 respect to the families and genera, it may be said that they agree, 

 speaking in a general way, with those of the other local floras of the 

 brown coal formation. The species are, for the most part different, 



