VI. On the Caebomfeeous Mteiapods peeseeved in the Sigillaeian Stumps of 



Nova Scotia. By Samuel H. Scuddee. 



j^MONG the most cimous and interesting results of Dr. J. W. Dawson's researches in the 

 ancient fauna and flora of Nova Scotia is his discovery, in the carboniferous strata at the 

 "Joggins" mine, of erect sigillarian stumps, whose cavities enclosed, with the debris of 

 those ancient times, the reHcs of a famia otherwise quite mikno^va. The land-sheUs and 

 gaUy-woi'ms — than which none are known of older date — with fragments of hexapod 

 insects, which had nom-ished the reptiles of that period and are now preserved in their 

 coprohtes, indicate, from their natiu'e and comparative abmidance, a fauna of considerable 

 magnitude ; three stumps alone. Dr. Dawson- informs me, have jaelded the articulate re- 

 mains which I have examined.-^ The gally-worms occm* mostly in fragments of from three 

 or fom' to about sixty segments ; but also in smaller bits, enclosed ha the masses of reptilian 

 coprohtes ; hexapod insects scarcely appear except in the coprolites, and although they 

 unquestionably belong to Orthoptera and Neuroptera (of small size), they are in general 

 too fi'agmentary to justify one in predicating anything of then" generic affinities. 



In this paper attention is directed to the Mjrriapoda alone. These were originally re- 

 ferred by Dr. Dawson to a single species and described under the name of Xylohius sigil- 

 lari(£.^ Greatly to my surprise, I found, on examining them, that they represented not 

 only several species, but two genera of gaUy-worms. Urged by the doubts both of Dr. 

 Dawson and myself, I subjected the specimens to repeated and most minute inspection, but 

 foimd my previous opinion confirmed at every step. 



The condensed description, originally given by Dr. Dawson, is as follows : — 



" Body crustaceous, elongate, articulate, when recent cylindrical or nearly so, rolling 

 sph'aUy. Feet small, numerous; segments thirty or more; anterior segments smooth, 

 posterior, with transverse wrinkles, giving a furrowed appearance. In some specimens 

 traces of a series of lateral pores or stigmata. Labrum ? quadrilateral, divided by notches 

 or joints into three portions. Mandibles two-jointed, last joint ovate and pointed. Eyes 

 ten or more on each side." Quart. Joiu-n. Geol. Soc. London, xvi., p. 272. 



In stating that the anterior segments were smooth, while the posterior were provided 

 with " transverse wrinldes," Dr. Dawson seems to have drawn his conclusions from a com- 



1 The opportunity of studying them I owe to his kindness, (same as previous) ; Acad. Geo!., Suppl., 33, 34, 36, fig. 45 



'^ For -prayious writings on" Xyloblua sigillarice" see : (A. xi/lohioules) ; ibid., 2d ed., 385, 3S6, fig. 151, (fig. 1516 



Dawson, J. W. Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. Lond., xvi, A. xylolioides; fig. 151c X. slgillarice). 



268-273, figs. 4-9 (figs. 5,6,8, A.xyhbhides ; fig. d,X.sigU- Woodward, H. Trans. Geol. Soc; Glasg.,n, 235-237, pi. 



larice) ; ibid., xvill, 6 ; ibid., xxii, 116 ; Air Breathers of iii, figs. 11-13 (figs. 11, 11a, 13, 13a, X. Woodwardi; fig. 12a, 



the Coal Period, 62-64, 67, pi. tI, figs. 57-61 (figs. 57, 61, A.xylohioides). 



A. xylobloides ; fig. 59, X. Dawxoni ; fig. 60, A', sigillarke) ; Scudder, S. H. Dawson'a Acad. Geol., 2d ed., 495-496; 



Can. Nat. and Geol., viii, 280, 283, pi. vi, figs. 57-61 Geol. Mag., v, 216. 



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