BY THE REV. J. E. TENISON-WOODS, F.G.S., F.L.S. 43 



Devonian, Carboniferous in Europe, formed one uninterrupted and 

 conformable series of deposits in Australia. 



We suppose that some of the fossil plants indicated in Mr. 

 Clarke's list are instances of mistaken identification, because 

 subsequent investigation has not confirmed their existence. Mis- 

 takes as to locality, &c, from which specimens were obtained must 

 explain the assertion that Lepidodendon, Ulodendron, Lycopodites, 

 and Neuropteris occur in connection with our coal deposits. 



In 1849 Professor Dana published* a description of some 

 Australian coal plants. It is remarkable that he regards Morris's 

 Zeugophyllites elongatus as Noeggerathia, a conifer. The descrip- 

 tions given by Dana are very elaborate, and the discussions equally 

 so, but he does not believe that there is no break between the 

 paleozoic marine fossils and the plant remains. In 1850 Mr. 

 Jukes published his sketch of the physical structure of Australia, in 

 which he repeated the opinions previously put forth as to the general 

 conformability of the coal and other deposits, and that they all 

 formed one great paleozoic formation without any break. Mr. 

 Jukes believed that we had not any mesozoic formations in 

 Australia, either terrestrial or marine. The work did not throw 

 any light on the paleontology of our coal plants, though many are 

 mentioned by name. 



Previous to the year 1851 the Rev. W. B. Clarke sent a 

 Lepidodendron to Prof. Sedgwick, and in June of that year Prof. 

 M'Coy wrote from Cambridge to Mr. Clarke stating that the 

 specimen was L. tetragonum of the English coal fields, and adding 

 that it was the first Lepidodendron seen from Australia.! 



With the exception of the Lepidodendron all the species 

 described and published by the above authors were included in 

 the second edition of Dr. F. Unger's Genera et Species Plantarum 

 Fossilium. Leipsic, 1850. Many of them in Baron A. de 

 Zigno's Flora Fossilis Formationis Oolithicse. Padua, 1856 

 to 1860. 



* United States Exploring Expedition, Vol. X., Geology Appendix, 

 p. 714. Philadelphia, 1849. 



t Clarke, Sedimentary Formations. 4th edition, 1878, p. 21. 



