12 



History of Hingham. 



Carboniferous 

 Age. 

 Sub-Carbonifer- 

 ous Period. 



Carboniferous 

 Period. 



Permian Period. 



Sea-weeds similar to tbose 



of the Devonian. 

 Land Plants : 



Lycopods, Ferns, Coni- 

 fers and Calamites. 

 The animal life was abun- 

 dant, as shown by the 

 profusion of the remains 

 of Crinoids. 

 Of Radiates : Polyp 



Corals. 

 Of Brachiopods : Spi- 



rifer Productus. 

 Of Cephalopoda : Go- 



niatites, Nautilus. 

 Of Articulates : Trilo- 

 bites, ( >rthoceratites, 

 Scorpions, etc. 

 Of Fishes : as in De- 

 vonian Age. 

 Of Amphibians : Foot- 

 prints. 



Immense development of 

 the coal-forming plants, 

 the Tree-ferns, the Ly- 

 copods, Sigillarids, the 

 Fquiseta, Conifers, and 

 Cycads. The latter first 

 appeared in this period. 



No Angiosperms, no 

 Palms, no Mosses yet 

 discovered. 



Plants similar to those of 

 the Coal Period. 



Of animal life, Goniatites, 

 which first appeared in 

 the Hamilton Period, 

 and Trilobites, which 

 appeared in the Primor- 

 dial Period, both had 

 become extinct. 



Several genera of the Mol- 

 lusea, as Productus, 

 ( )rthis,and Murchisonia, 

 are not found later than 

 this period. 



As might have been ex- 

 pected from the immense 

 development of vegetable 

 life under tropical tempera- 

 ture, the remains of great 

 numbers of insects are found 

 in the deposits of the Car- 

 boniferous Age, during 

 which theif first appeared. 

 Species of the extinct Order 

 Palseodictyoptera are espe- 

 cially abundant, embracing 



General Remarks. 



During the Sub-Carboniferous Pe- 

 riod a great mediterranean sea, as 

 previously, covered a large area 

 of the interior of the continent, 

 and the temperature being fa- 

 vorable, there was a great devel- 

 opment of crinoids, corals, and 

 the many forms of life now found 

 in the strata. 



Forests and marsh areas were ex- 

 tensive. The period was one of 

 subsidence. The condition of the 

 Arctic regions was yet undoubt- 

 edly similar to the more southern 

 portions of the continent, the air 

 being warm and moist. 



This Period, differing from that of 

 the Sub-Carboniferous, was one 

 of extensive emergence instead 

 of subsidence. 



As yet the Alleghanies did not ex- 

 ist, but over their area were great 

 marshes, where flourished the 

 coal-making plants of the period. 



The beds of the Permian are 

 marine. 



Palaeozoic Time has now come to 

 an end. Great disturbances fol- 

 lowed, leading to the elevation 

 of the Alleghany Mountains and 



