370 Remarks on Mr NicoVs Observations on 



satisfactory as that which was given long before any man in 

 Scotland had thought on the subject. 



Secondly, Mr Nicol states, that to him is owing the discovery 

 " that all the fossils retaining the ligneous structure in the coal 

 and lias formations, are of coniferous origin, and that, with one 

 exception, those of the tertiary formations are either monoco- 

 tyledons or dicotyledons." I am not aware that Mr Nicol ever 

 pointed out such a discovery to me, nor do I believe that Mr 

 Witham was apprised of it by him. That the ligneous fossils 

 of the carboniferous series and lias, of which sections were ex- 

 hibited to me by both these gentlemen, appeared to be coni- 

 ferae, was what any person examining them might readily per- 

 ceive; and neither Mr Witham, who directed, nor myself, who 

 represented, could be ignorant of the fact, which was stated be- 

 fore Mr NicoPs discovery was heard of. When I began to 

 arrange and draw the slices which afforded subjects for the 

 plates of Mr Witham's first work, Mr Nicol was aware that 

 coniferae present a different pattern^ so to speak, in their trans- 

 verse sections from dicotyledonous or monocotyledonous trees : 

 but this was to me evidently the whole extent of his knowledge, 

 nor was he in the least aware of the nature of the different 

 apertures forming the lacework of these sections. 



Thirdly, Mr Nicol, speaking of a certain fossil, says, " were 

 this slice divided into two unequal portions, one of them would 

 have been a Pence, and the other a Pitus or Pinites ; and parts 

 would have furnished materials for the genus Anabathra of 

 Witham."" This is to a certain extent very possible, and in 

 Mr Witham's work, it is actually stated that, " in fact a single 

 trunk often presents appearances characteristic of the two genera, 

 according to the state of its parts. Thus a Pinites regularly 

 articulated in its unaltered and straight cellules, becomes in some 

 degree a Pence, when the cellules are curved and distorted.*** 

 But the structure of Anabathra is so different, that with respect 

 to it the remark does not hold good. As to the proposed genera 

 Pitus, Pence, and Pinites, it is distinctly stated, that they run 

 into each other, and that connecting links may occur : nor are 

 they presented otherwise than for the purpose of exciting ob- 

 servers to investigate the subject more fully. As yet, however, 



