LINNEAX SOCIKTT OF LONDON. 75 



of Yiee-President, aiid at tlie same time became President of the 

 C Central Commission on Steam-engines. In all his appointments 

 he discharged his otiicial fnnctious with tlie utmost energy and 

 success. 



Zeiller had been interested in Botany as a young man, and 

 while at the School of Mines paid special attention to the col- 

 lections of fossil plants. Early in his career he began to be 

 recognised as an authority on this subject ; plants from the coal- 

 beds of Chili were submitted to him, and he detei-nu'ned their age 

 as Jurassic, contrary to the then prevalent belief that true coal 

 could only occur in the Coal Measures. His investigations were 

 in close touch with his official work, for he laid stress on the 

 practical value of evidence from fossil plants in deteruiining 

 the relations of coal-seams. 



In 1878 Zeiller contributed a description of the principal species 

 of French Coal-Measure plants to the Explanation of the Geolo- 

 gical Map of Erance. In the same year he began his admirable 

 courses of lectures on Eossil Botany at the School of Mines, and 

 took charge of the collections, which under his care came to be of 

 inestimable value to pala^obotanists. Erom this time onwards 

 Zeiller's position as a leader in Eossil Botany was established ; 

 he produced, from year to year, a continuous series of important 

 memoirs. The amount of scientific work which he was able to 

 accomplish, side by side with his official duties, is remarkable ; 

 his enei'gy was great, and it must further be remembered that 

 his official position gave him access to a Aast supply of material 

 from all quarters. It must also be recognised that the authorities 

 of his department took an enlightened view of the position and 

 did all in their power to facilitate scientific research. 



Only a few of Zeiller's works can be referred to here ; we may 

 begin witli the great series of Eossil Eloras. The first of these, 

 that of Valenciennes *, is a magnificent work, of equal value to 

 the geologist and the botanist. It gives an exhaustive account, 

 beautifully illustrated, of the Flora of the most important Coal 

 Eield of Erance. The introductory chapters contain an admirable 

 discussion of the fructification of Carboniferous Eerns, a subject 

 ou which Zeiller was perhaps the first authority. In fact the 

 Eerns and fern-like plants had a peculiar attraction for him all 

 through his career. Thus in the next important Elora, that of 

 the Upper Coal Measures of Comraentry in Central Erance 

 (1888-1890) t, he undertook the part on the Eerns, Eenault 

 doing the other groups. So, too, in the famous Elora of the 

 Permo-Carboniierous beds of Autun and Epinac (1890) J, it was 

 Zeiller, again, who worked out the Eerns, or most of them, 

 his colleague completing the Elora some years later. Zeiller's 



* Eludes des Gites Mineraiix de la France. Bassiii Houiller de Valen- 

 ciennes. Description de la Flore Fossile. Paris, 188(i-8. 



t Etudes sur le Terrain Houiller de Conmientry. Flore Fossile. Part I. 

 Bull. Soc. ind. niin., 1888-00. 



I Etudes des Gites Mi;i. de hi France. Bas.sin Houiller et rerinicn d'Autun 

 el; d'Epiiui<;. Flo'i-e Fossile. Part 1. Paris, 18'JU. 



