the Fossil Trees found at St. Helen's. 245 



roots in their turn became dichotomously divided, and gave 

 origin to two other equal and similar roots. 



To enter into a more detailed description of these roots and 

 their sizes : — The main roots at their commencement measured 

 each three feet two inches across, and, after running about one 

 foot tJiree inches, gave birth to the secondary ones, which were 

 about two feet four inches in breadth at their commencement; 

 these, at the distance of about seven inches from their origin, 

 again bifurcated and produced two tertiary roots, each of which 

 was about one foot four inches across. By this regular mode 

 of dividing each of the main roots produced four distinct and 

 separate ones, each at its commencement of a compressed oval 

 form. The tertiary roots struck down into the clay in an al- 

 most perpendicular direction from one foot ten inches to about 

 two feet, after which they took a nearly horizontal direction, 

 without taking the dip of the strata into consideration, or else 

 they would have appeared to run upwards. In order to give 

 a more correct idea of the roots, the following description of 

 the drawings has been added : — In Plate V. fig. 1 A represents 

 a fragment of a root on the northern side which had been in- 

 jured in making the excavation ; its inclination was about 30°. 

 The one marked B ran at its commencement more on the 

 level than the preceding one, and swelled out in a singular 

 manner for some distance, dipping at an angle of 20°; it soon 

 however struck downwards at a much steeper angle, viz. 50°, 

 and after proceeding in that direction about fourteen inches, 

 it took a horizontal course and became a flattened Stigmaria. 

 The one marked C dipped downwards at an angle of 58°; 

 that marked D at 80°, and the ones marked E and F at a 

 similar angle, and G at 50° before they took horizontal direc- 

 tions. The root H, like A, was a mere fragment and dipped 

 at an angle of 35°. All the roots taper much as they proceed 

 downwards, assuming more and more the Stigmaria character, 

 until they run through the strata in a horizontal direction, 

 when they become possessed of all the appearances of flattened 

 specimens of that plant. In order to show how quickly the 

 roots diminish in size, it may be stated that the one marked 

 G at the point of its first bifurcation measured one foot three 

 inches across, and at the distance of three feet below the same 

 root only measured five inches in breadth. This root was 

 four feet six inches long from its origin, at the stem, to its low- 

 est extremity traced, from whence a cylindrical rootlet, about 

 an inch in diameter, having a thick coaly envelope, and send- 

 ing out side shoots took its rise, an appendage not observed 

 on any other of the five roots, which were followed about four 

 feet, when they entered masses of ironstone, which prevented 



