﻿ri^ 
  

  

  Ihe 
  attention 
  of 
  vSwedisli 
  naturalists 
  was 
  fixed 
  on 
  the 
  grap- 
  

   tolites, 
  wbicli 
  occur 
  so 
  abundantly 
  in 
  our 
  older 
  Silurian 
  

   strata, 
  at 
  a 
  very 
  early 
  date. 
  The 
  author, 
  who 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  observe 
  and 
  mention 
  these 
  fossils, 
  is 
  the 
  

   Archiater 
  Magnus 
  von 
  Bromell. 
  In 
  his, 
  (for 
  its 
  time), 
  most 
  

   meritorious 
  work 
  : 
  ■»Litliograjohiae 
  Suecanae 
  Specimen 
  primimi 
  

   et 
  secitndum» 
  "') 
  he, 
  among 
  other 
  matters, 
  gives 
  an 
  accotint 
  of 
  

   a 
  collection 
  of 
  fossils 
  belonging 
  to 
  himself 
  : 
  »De 
  vegetabilibiis, 
  

   fossilibus 
  et 
  lapidefactis.» 
  From 
  this 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  inferred, 
  that 
  

   some 
  of 
  these 
  were 
  graptolites, 
  althongh 
  he 
  regards 
  them 
  as 
  

   plants. 
  In 
  Specimen 
  secundum 
  the 
  Articulus 
  primus 
  be 
  ars 
  the 
  

   title 
  : 
  »De 
  musco 
  iucrustato 
  et 
  in 
  lapide 
  depicto»; 
  No. 
  1 
  is 
  

   »Lapis 
  cinerei 
  coloris 
  fissilis 
  foetidus, 
  Suillus 
  dictus, 
  in 
  super- 
  

   {icie 
  ostendens 
  musci 
  ramosi 
  capillamenta 
  nigra, 
  subtilissimo 
  

   quasi 
  penicillo 
  expressa, 
  inventus 
  in 
  arenariis 
  paroeciae 
  Giser- 
  

   stad, 
  prope 
  oppidum 
  Schenningiam 
  in 
  Ostrogothia». 
  — 
  Fur- 
  

   thcr 
  is 
  said: 
  »Qui 
  in 
  hoc 
  memorato 
  lapide 
  depictus 
  cernitur 
  

   musens, 
  generis 
  est 
  saxatilis, 
  repentis, 
  capillacei, 
  non 
  ipsam 
  

   lapidis 
  substantiam, 
  quemadmodum 
  in 
  dendritis 
  Florentinis 
  

   & 
  Germanicis 
  nonnullis 
  videre 
  licet, 
  penetrans, 
  sed 
  lapidis 
  in 
  

   extima 
  superficie 
  duntaxat 
  subtilem 
  figuram 
  suam 
  ostentans». 
  

   From 
  this 
  description 
  it 
  cannot 
  of 
  course 
  be 
  definitely 
  

   ascertained, 
  what 
  mineral 
  Bromell 
  refers 
  to. 
  It 
  may 
  have 
  

   boen 
  anthraconite, 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  which 
  Bromell 
  has 
  translated 
  

   to 
  »lapis 
  suillus». 
  Certain 
  varieties 
  of 
  anthraconite 
  may 
  by 
  ex- 
  

   position 
  to 
  the 
  air 
  acquire 
  a 
  raore 
  grayish 
  colour. 
  — 
  If 
  Bro- 
  

   mell's 
  determination 
  of 
  the 
  mineral 
  is 
  correct") 
  it 
  can 
  al- 
  

  

  ') 
  Acta 
  literaria 
  Suecise 
  Upsalife 
  publicata. 
  Vol. 
  I 
  & 
  II, 
  1720 
  — 
  1729. 
  

   Also 
  separate: 
  »Specimen 
  primum, 
  | 
  1724» 
  and 
  »Specimen 
  secundum, 
  1727i. 
  

  

  ^) 
  It 
  is 
  possible, 
  that 
  the 
  mineral 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  limestone-ball 
  from 
  

   the 
  upper 
  gr 
  aptolite-shales. 
  These 
  balls 
  are 
  always 
  of 
  a 
  gray 
  colour 
  and 
  

   somewhat 
  fefid 
  when 
  scratched; 
  but 
  this 
  supposition 
  is 
  contradicted 
  by 
  the 
  

   circumstance, 
  that 
  Bromell 
  expressly 
  employs 
  the 
  term 
  : 
  »lapis 
  suillus^, 
  

   for 
  real 
  anthraconite 
  or 
  swinestone. 
  No 
  other 
  kind 
  of 
  limestone,br.t 
  this 
  

  

  