i 5 6 



HARDWICK&S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



than to the Xanthidia. Hence, by the term zygo- 

 sporites it is simply meant that these spores are like 

 zygospores, and not that they were true zygospores ; 

 thus leaving the question as to their botanical affini- 

 ties an open one. The wisdom of this course has 

 been fully demonstrated by the subsequent discovery 

 of spores belonging to one of the species (Z. brcvipes) 

 in a true sporangium. I had the pleasure of reading 

 a paper on this new discovery along with some others, 

 before the geological section at the meeting of the 

 British Association at York in iSSr. 



Zygosporites brcvipes. — These spores vary from the 



whole organism however is so very small that it takes 

 a \ or I in. objective to bring out these results. 



The perfection in which these and other minute 

 organisms are preserved in our Halifax material is 

 truly marvellous, especially when we take into con- 

 sideration the fact that every atom of the original 

 material has been changed or destroyed by what has 

 been termed a process of slow combustion and 

 replaced by mineral matter (chiefly, iron pyrites and 

 carbonate of lime, the latter being by far the best 

 material for the purposes of the fossil botanist), and 

 yet this has been accomplished so exquisitely that the 



Fig. 



-Sporocarfon traqitaria. 



T J D to the z l u part of an inch in diameter. They are 

 spherical in form, and the whole surface is covered 

 with curious appendages. When highly magnified 

 the latter are seen to be hollow and turret-shaped 

 and arranged in definite order around the spore. In 

 the transverse section, from nine to twelve of these 

 minute turrets may be seen projecting outwards 

 from the periphery of the spore. The appearance 

 of these appendages may be compared to that of the 

 pieces on the chess board called castles, especially to 

 some of those ornamental ones which have the 

 battlements serrated or divided into segments. The 



fossils are in every minute point (even microscopically 

 minute point) of detail an exact facsimile of the 

 original organism. It is only by the contemplation 

 of the anatomy of such extremely minute fossils as 

 these that the mind fully realises the wondrous 

 powers of fossilisation, and also the extreme minute- 

 ness of the molecules forming the fossils. It has been 

 remarked that in the process of fossilisation the 

 natural colour of original plants has been destroyed, 

 but this is no detriment to their examination under 

 the microscope ; on the contrary, it is a very great 

 advantage to have them stained as they are, which 



