the Carboniferous Strata near Wigan. 263 



and usual joints of this genus of plants. All those which 

 could be traced downwards exhibited rootlets proceeding from 

 the lower joints, less in size, but resembling those of Stigmarise. 

 One of the erect Calamites was traced for about two feet 

 upwards, and then at first sight appeared to terminate ; but 

 on more careful inspection it could be traced running in a 

 horizontal direction, but so much compressed as to remain 

 unseen without very close observation. 



The erect stems both of undoubted Sigillariae and trees 

 which did not exhibit all the characters of Sigillariae as well 

 as those of Calamites, occurred in all parts of the deposit of 

 silty clay, from the top of the lower seam to the floor of the 

 upper one. 



In the deposit where the trees occurred were found plants 

 of the genera Neuropteris, Pecopteris, Sphenopteris, Cyclo- 

 pteris, Odontopteris, Asterophyllites, Pinnularia, Lepidoden- 

 dron, Lepidophyllum, Lepidostrobus, Lycopodites, Spheno- 

 phyllum, &c. 



Having thus given a hasty sketch of the locality where the 

 fossils occurred, and the fossils themselves as they appeared 

 to me on my first visit to the place, I shall proceed to describe 

 some erect stems of Calamites, which are intended to form 

 the chief subject of this communication. These trees were 

 not only seen by myself, but by Dr. J. Hooker and M. Jobert, 

 two well-known geologists ; and it is to the latter gentleman 

 that I am indebted for the drawings which accompany this 

 paper. 



On the 22nd of May last, in company with the above-named 

 gentlemen, I again visited the Pemberton Hill cutting. Many 

 erect specimens of Calamites, both with and without roots, had 

 been seen on my previous visits to the place ; but the three 

 which it is now my intention to describe exhibited the lower 

 terminations, and more distinctly showed the rootlets than the 

 other specimens. 



The three fossils marked Nos. 1, 2 and 3, in the rough 

 sketch before given, and No. 4, an individual examined by me 

 on a previous visit, occurred in the excavation on the south 

 side of the railway. They were all found standing in an erect 

 position about two yards distant from each other, having their 

 tops, as far as bared, two yards under the upper seam of coal. 

 They were each exposed from twenty inches to two feet, and 

 all presented the same external characters with regard to their 

 stems, joints, and rootlets, and most resembled the Calamites 

 approximatiis. 



The description of No. 1 will serve for the other two. 



This specimen appeared standing in the silty clay in a nearly 



