VOL. XVII. (3) FOSSIL PLANTS— FOREST OF DEAN 



321 



THE FOSSIL PLANTS 

 OF THE FOREST OF DEAN COALFIELD 



BY 

 E. A. NEWELL ARBER, M.A., Sc. D., P.L.S., F.G.S. 



Trinity College, Cambridge, University Demonstrator in Paleobotany. 



[Plates XXXVII. -XXXIX.] 



{Read February 13th, 1912) 



The labours of members of the Cotteswold Naturalists' 

 Field Club among the Mesozoic rocks of the West of England 

 form important contributions to the geology of the district. 

 It may be, however, that some members seeking " fresh woods 

 and pastures new," wherein to find another outlet for their 

 energies, are unaware of the work which still remains to be 

 done among the Carboniferous rocks of the Forest of Dean, 

 the nearest coalfield which lies at hand, with the single excep- 

 tion of the little basin of Newent. In these days, when renewed 

 attention is being devoted to the Carboniferous rocks of this 

 country, it is much to be hoped that our knowledge of the 

 Gloucestershire coalfields will keep pace with that of other 

 districts The object of the present paper is, if possible, to 

 stimulate some renewed interest in the resources of the Forest 

 of Dean coalfield, from a geological point of view, among the 

 members of the Club. The author, as the result of a few 

 weeks' work, during each of the last five or six years, has 

 obtained large collections of fossil plants from this coalfield, 

 many of which are beautifully preserved. There is little doubt 

 that many species still remain unknown from the Forest, and 

 that the ground is far from exhausted. The variety of plants 

 which can be obtained by collecting on the large colliery heaps 

 of this district, varies from time to time, since large supplies 

 of fresh material are constantly being made available for the 

 collector. There is thus little doubt that those resident in the 

 district could, as the result of repeated visits to the collieries. 



