2 Devonian Plants, 



summer, and examined the localities indicated on the plans and 

 sections of the Geological Survey. The facts and specimens thus 

 obtained will probably be fully described and illustrated in one of 

 the forthcoming Decades of Canadian Fossils ; and in the mean- 

 time I propose to notice some of the species observed, which 

 appear to be of especial interest in the present state of our gen- 

 eral knowled^'C of the Devonian flora. 



Before proceeding to these descriptions, it may be necessary to 

 state that the deposit in "which the fossils occur consists of sand- 

 stone and shale, of various colours and textures, with some con- 

 glomerate and thin-bedded coarse limestone, and a seam of bitu- 

 minous coal, one inch in thickness. The whole series is estimated 

 by Sir W. E. Logan at VOOO feet of vertical thickness. It rests 

 on Upper Silurian rocks, and underlies unconformably the con- 

 glomerates which here form the base of the Carboniferous system. 

 Some of the beds, especially in the lower part of the series, 

 contain marine fossils of Lower Devonian forms, which are now 

 in process of examination by Mr. Billings of the Geological 

 Survey. The greater part of the beds are, however, destitute of 

 marine fossils, and present appearances indicative of shallow water 

 and even of land-surfaces. Some of the species of plants occur 

 throughout the whole thickness; but the bed of coal and most of 

 the plants in situ are found in the lower and middle portions of 

 the series. Detailed sections and descriptions of the beds will be 

 found in the Report above referred to. 



1. PsiLOPHYTON, gen. nov. (Figs. 1 & 2.) 



Lycopodiaceous plants^ hrancTiing dicJiotomousli/, and covered with 

 interrupted ridges or closely oppressed minute leaves ; the stems 

 springing from a rhizoma having circular areoles^ sending forth 

 cylindrical rootlets. Internal structure : an axis of scalari- 

 form vessels, surrounded hy a cylinder of parenchymatous cells 

 and hy an outer cortical cylinder of elongated wcody cells (pros- 

 enchynui). Fructif cation probably in lateral masses, protect- 

 ed by leafy bracts. 



The most remarkable and interesting plant of the formation is 

 one which, I believe, has frequently been observed and described 

 elsewhere from fragmentary specimens, but which occurs in the 



