242 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [mAR. 15, 



sj'nonomy and the want of books dealing with this section of the 

 subject. As a result the published list of coal plants is by no 

 means complete. 



The great bulk of the Coal Flora consisted of ferns and Lyco- 

 podiacese, the latter, however, not restricted to the Coal Measures, 

 the casts of large trunks being not unfrequently found in the 

 sandstone of the Millstone Grits. 



The shale roofs of the coal seams are the repositories of fossil 

 plants ; ferns, Galamites and Lepidodendra occurring in abund- 

 ance. All the under clays or seat rocks contain Sligmaria, whilst 

 the roof of the Bullion Seam contains the irregularh' rounded 

 nodules already mentioned in which, amidst a tangle of broken 

 up vegetable matter are found stems, twigs, and fruit of Gala- 

 miles and Lepidodendron, with their minute structure perfectly 

 preserved. 



In addition to the shale roofs, plant fossils are found in some 

 of the shales and sandstones. 



In some cases ironstone nodules occur in the shales containing 

 well preserved ferns and Lepidostrobi, especially in the shales 

 under the Doe Mine of the Middle Coal Measures of Pendleton. 



The sandstones often contain casts of trunks and faint im- 

 pression of leaves and ferns covered by a thin layer of carbon. 



Ferns are most abundant so far as regards species in the shales 

 of the Middle Coal Measures, where they are better preserved 

 than those of the lower series. The stems of Galamites and 

 Lepidodendra are also less crushed. 



Plant remains of an}- description are scarce in the Upper Coal 

 Measures, Neuropteris and Sj^henopteris being the most common. 



The following is a fairly complete list of coal plants determin- 

 able by their external form so far as it can be now obtained. 



It is a modification of the list published by Mr. K. Kidston.* 



Lower Coal Measures. 

 Calamaei^. 



Calamitina {Calamites) upproximata Brongt. 

 Stylocalamites {Catamites) Suckowii Brongt. 

 " " undulafus Sternb. 



" " Cistii. 



FlLICACE^. 



Sphenopteris SchUIingsii Andrse. 

 Mariopteris muricata Schl. 

 Alethopieris lonchitica Schl. 



* Trans. Manchester Geol. Soc, Vol. XXI., 1890-1-2. " Notes on some Fossil Plants 

 from the Lancashire Coal Measures by R. Kidston, p. 401. 



