200 REMINISCENCES OF 



niart now adopted the opinion that Lepidodendron 

 was a cryptogamic Lycopod, because it did not pos- 

 sess a woody cylinder, but that Sigillaria was a 

 Gymnosperm because it did. Even in his valuable 

 "Tableaux des Genres de Vegetaux Fossiles," pub- 

 lished in 1849, ne st iN clung to his mistaken notions 

 respecting these plants. 



Up to this time I did not know where Mr. Binney 

 had got his specimens, but I soon had the advantage of 

 an introduction to Mr. J. Butterworth of Shaw, near 

 Oldham, who had not only collected plants from the 

 localities which had supplied Mr. Binney with his, 

 but had fitted up an excellent lapidary's lathe and 

 prepared some sections of the fossil plants, of which 

 he showed me a small but beautiful series. He also 

 supplied me with a number of the hard calcareous 

 nodules dug out of the coal, from which these plants, 

 the internal tissues of which were so beautifully 

 preserved, were obtained. I at once provided myself 

 with a jeweller's lathe, and commenced that series of 

 practical researches which have continued until now. 

 After devoting some time to the practical manipula- 

 tion of my machine, I became sufficiently accustomed 

 to the work to produce very respectable and in- 

 structive sections. 



I first directed my attention to the Calamitean 

 problem, and soon obtained a very important series 

 of these objects in addition to some lent to me by 

 Mr. Butterworth. On comparing these with Brong- 

 niart's, and with those of Mr. Binney, I found myself 



