308 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



face, like the cannel coal of Scotland, burning with a large yellow 

 flame, and without softening. 



ON THE TRACES OF TEGETATION IN COAL. 



AT the Boston Natural History Society, August, Mr. Teschemacher 

 stated the results of his study respecting the traces of vegetation in 

 coal. This communication, given below, is one of the most important 

 contributions to our knowledge of the character and composition of 

 coal ever laid before the public. 



Mr. Teschemacher said : " My observations have been entirely con- 

 fined to the traces of vegetation in the coal itself, omitting those in the 

 shales accompanying the coal. A previous study of these latter was, 

 however, indispensable. I believe, however, that the investigation of 

 the former branch, hitherto almost untouched, will lead to by far the 

 most interesting results. One of the most striking points in this 

 investigation was the appearance, on cleavage, of forms entirely simu- 

 lating those of well known vegetables of the coal period, yet without a 

 trace of the vegetable, being in fact homogeneous coal. Such are 

 these specimens of peacock-eye coal, resembling the roots of Stigmaria, 

 these perfect resemblances of the leaves of Neuropteris and Cyclopteris, 

 even to the course of the veins. Such, also, are those masses of ves- 

 sels which have hitherto been thought to be scratches caused by slid- 

 ing, but of which I have several specimens on which a small portion 

 of the plant remains ; and one on which there is a portion of a cylin- 

 drical form of cones of these vessels, symmetrically arranged, sur- 

 rounded by a clearly organic bark or rind. Something of this nature 

 may be seen in a transverse slice of a recent Equisetum. These ap- 

 pearances are not unfrequent, and each in its class is constant ; their 

 outlines are also perfect. Such conditions admit alone of the sup- 

 position that during the consolidation of the coal the mass was in a 

 liquid state, and that each particle of the liquid mass sustained 

 an equal pressure in every part, so that there could be no motion 

 whatever amongst these particles by which the outline of form could 

 be destroyed, and, consequently, that all disturbing action took place 

 posterior to its consolidation. The finely polished surfaces are also 

 unquestionably the surfaces of the vegetable. Of the same striking 

 nature are the fissures so frequently found on the surfaces of the 

 vegetable imprints, but seldom on the general mass. At first, I 

 considered them, as others have done, as mere effects of shrinkage ; 

 but, after close examination of some thousand specimens, observing 

 them only on vegetable surfaces, sometimes containing carbonized 

 vegetable matter, differing from all around, on other specimens, 

 curved in peculiar ways, so as to shut out the action of any general 

 dynamic law, it occurred to me that the determination of these fissures 

 must have been caused by rupture of the weak annular vessels crossing 

 the leaves, like those traversing the leaves of almost all the palm tribe. 

 " Now this opinion involves the decision of the mooted question, of 

 the existence of the palm, tribe in the fossil flora of the coal period. My 

 own idea is, from this as well as from other appearances, that the 



