83 
to the present time has been cut beyond the Doxall; its identity 
however at present is uncertain.* Over it is a tolerably rich 
Flora; Cordaites, with other reed-like plants, are almost as 
abundant as on the Toad Vein, but the characteristic forms are 
Neuropteris Cistii, very numerous, Alethopteris lonchitica and 
Sigillaria nodosa. This ends the lower series, and by referring 
to the table containing the list and range of the Fossils it will 
be seen that there are several in this division which have not 
been named in connection with the seams of coal, because of 
some uncertainty as to the seam from which they were collected. 
We now enter upon a Sandstone deposit about 2100 feet 
thick, known as the Pennant. This formation is said to be 
alone confined to the South Wales, Bristol, Somersetshire, and ~ 
Forest of Dean Coalfields, and though we speak of the Upper 
and Lower series divided by this Sandstone, it does not follow 
that these divisions correspond with those of other Coalfields. 
It strikes one as being singular that so thick a formation should 
be confined to so limited an area, and seeing that some parts of 
it so closely resembles the Millstone grit, it may be that in 
other districts it is mistaken for that formation, especially when 
the out-crops are not seen, if so, there are large deposits of coal 
yet to be discovered. 
The Pennant is an alternation of sandstone and pebbly con- 
glomerates with mud balls, and beds of clay. These latter were 
land surfaces on which a Flora had grown, and been submerged 
in water, highly charged with calcareous and quartzose sediments 
and ferric oxide. The vegetation decayed rapidly in its pre- 
sence, the fibrous parts alone remaining, now forming black 
layers. The stone sometimes presents a very red appearance, 
which is only superficial where the iron has been re-oxidised, 
and clearly shows at a glance the amount of iron which some 
beds of this sandstone still contain, but the greater portion has 
been carried away in solution by water. We have here a re- 
currence of what we had in the Millstone grit, namely, conditions 
* Since the above was written another seam has been cut which bids fair for a 
rich Flora. 
