Geology. 39 1 



and, in some instances, a statement of the soil in which it had 

 been found growing, and, perhaps, other particulars. A perusal 

 of these notices, collectively, will supply the peruser with a 

 store of facts kindred to those which Mr. Dennes and Mr. 

 Gardiner have contributed above; and he will, we think, be 

 profited by studying (reading merely, perhaps, will not suffice), 

 either in connexion with the above indicated store of facts, 

 or independently of them, the chapter on " colours, " which 

 is presented in part iv. on botany, published by the Society 

 for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, of whose Library of 

 Useful Knowledge it forms No. 185.] 



Geology. —Fact and Situation of the Occurrence of Seeds, 

 and certain Species of Shells, in the Lower Freshwater Form- 

 ation of the Isle of Wight. — The seeds are found in a stratum of 

 calcareous marl about 3ft, above the beach in Col well Bay, resting 

 on a greenish clay containing Venus, Cerithium, jBuccinum, 

 &c; besides the seeds, the marl also contains shells of the genera 

 Paludina, Plan6rbis, Melanopsis, Melania, Cyrena, &c. This 

 stratum may be observed for some yards in Colwell Bay near 

 to Warren Point, where it is obscured from view by an accu- 

 mulation of debris fallen from the cliff" above ; but, rounding 

 the point, it may be traced for some distance extending into 

 Totland Bay. I know not whether this fact has been before 

 noticed : it is an interesting one, as Mr. Webster discovered 

 seeds, some years ago, occurring in the freshwater strata of 

 Hordwell Cliff, on the opposite coast. — J. Morris, Kensington, 

 Feb. 1835. 



Mr. Morris sent some of the seeds with his communication ; 

 and of these we submitted a portion to Dr. Lindley, one of 

 the authors of the Fossil Flora now in progress ; who has 

 favoured us with these remarks upon them : — " The seeds 

 are not in a state for satisfactory determination. I think, 

 however, that we are justified in concluding that they con- 

 tained an embryo without albumen, and that the radicle was 

 bent upon two folded cotyledons, in whose convexity it lay : 

 if so, I see no reason why the seeds should not be those of 

 radish, or of some orthoploceous plant nearly related to it." 



[The orthoploceous condition of cotyledons is explained in 

 I. 144-. 



The natural order Cruciferse includes the radishes, the 

 mustards, and most, perhaps all, of the species of plants which 

 have their cotyledons orthoploceous ; and a still greater num- 

 ber of species which have them otherwise. All the species 

 of Cruciferae have in their seeds, when these are bruised, a 

 greater or less degree of mustardy odour and flavour. The 

 seeds sent by Mr. Morris had this odour in an obvious degree. 



