LXFUXMTBOBL 



LEPORIDyE. 



ts of JsjirfsssriBi and other vegetable matter, wh 

 ted into the dump*. This supposition is MMd 



irk fa 



th. following cooaideraUon* : 



1. The stumps of lifiJtdtiulnm appear to hare been rooted and 

 t, aad to hare received the oooe fragment* into their cavity u 

 fronds find their way into the axis of .S'yiWartVr. Were the 

 (tumps mere proetnle portion! of item* it u evident that cones 

 would have lain boriconUlly in them, and that no washing or dritti:i,- 

 could bar* induced the fragment* of thcae cone* to lie with their 

 axe* parallel to them, or oouM bare introduced so many into one 

 trunk ; and the latter would certainly bare been materially compressed 

 had they received on one side the pressure of the superincumbent 



I The) stump* must hare been submerged, and the fragments 

 quietly deposited from the water. Had the cones fallen from an over- 

 hanging forest they would hare alighted in all manner of irregular 

 position*, and in some cssn* overlain one another, which is never the 



S. The deposit appears to have been effected by the gradual sub- 

 sidence of the water, and not by a sudden rush or current. This 

 again U proved by the non-interference of the cones, and their 

 uniformly vertical position with respect to the Lepidodendron. 



It is hard to account for the accession of so large a volume of water 

 u would submerge these stumps and deposit these fragment*, and 

 yet exhibit no signs of drifting in it* course. The sudden fall of n 

 tropical torrent of rain on a Lepidodndron forest, in which were 

 hollow stomps of these trees, must at once suggest itself. This 

 would both carry down the Lepidottrobi from the trees and float up 

 the fragments on the ground, depositing them together in the stumps. 

 Another effect*of such a fall would be to break down some of the 

 older trees, whose decaying stumps would be prepared to inclose other 

 Lrpidottroti on the precipitation of the next similar torrent The 

 extreme fragility of the Ltpidottrobi displayed by these specimens U 

 rery satisfactory, a* the Lepidodendrons of which they are the fruit 

 no doubt partook of this character, which U eminently favourable to 

 a rapid drcompoiition and intimate union with the silt or mud which 

 is the basis of the clay-ironstone in the one case, and the formation 

 of a homogeneous bed of vegetable matter, such as the coal presents, 

 in another. The extraordinary abundance of the fragments too sug- 

 gest* a most vigorous vegetation, for they must indeed have been 

 profusely scattered to be deposited in such numbers within narrow 

 cylinder* into which no current appears to have been directed. 



It is worthy of remark that no fern-leaves are contained in any of 

 these Ltftdodendron items ; and their absence is the more singular 

 from their being commonly deposited along with branches of Co/am ila, 

 Ac., in the erect stumps of Siyillaria resting on the coal-shales. This 

 is no donbt connected with the well-known fact of the SigiUaria 

 stoops being Wed with sandstone, or the same materials as those 

 composing the stratum above the shales they root into; whilst the 

 fossfl Ufuiodcndn* of the clay ironstone seams is of the same mineral 

 as that wherein it is imbedded. Were the fragments of Upidottrobi 

 washed into their inclosing stumps by sny current, that agent would 

 b an probability have transported the remains of other plants to the 

 same spot. The perfect preservation in which these fragments occur 

 most be attributed to the protection afforded them by the surrounding 

 Lrpidodmelmt bark. That the circumference of the latter has been 

 subjected to pressure may be inferred from the flattening of the 

 promioenor* to which the leaves were attached. This pressure was 

 moreover very considerable, as may be proved by comparing the 

 """ f tl^fr nrface with that of a piece of Lepidodendron bark 

 MOM without pressure, and imbedded within the stem along with 

 tbs tMmlorireti 



If these cooes be examined with reference to the known contempo- 

 TT-fT 11 * which ocoln P n y U>n, it "ill appear impossible to 

 5 ^ *** " reproductive organs of Lepidodendro^oot ouly 

 from their association with the framents of that enus because the 



fragments of that genus, because the 

 f the tissue in the axis of the cone entirely accords with 

 ~** * _***. **** * AJHowwrfrxw. Just as we find in modern cones 

 war sad Vtmtfmr that the axis is a continuation of the 



bears loaves modified into organs adapted to support 

 and prott the parts of fructification. The mort podtiv. evince 

 * 1 * U *"? 1 '*! "*" Urging to a^enus allied to 



/. i* afforded bv the spores, the presence of which not only 

 i Micro from Cytadta, Comifrra, or any other order of floworinir 

 but directly refer, them to the family of I.ucopodiacta. It is 

 } r ** *- 'r from being peculiar 

 "- bul tUt lbeir *> form U no indi- 



- 

 Uoo either of their oontenU or of the affinities of the planU which 



Accordingly we find that Dr. Lindley, the firrt 

 extended view, on 



"' 



or more probably still to Cr<*dt*. Dr. 



r~ r "ITT"". v ,g .' the plant, as in toe common 

 s-b.tag wUkm. u 1^ ^ ,, AoM> prod,,^,, b y,, 



U fa!!!rL"'.i.' i 11 ' l"; nD bitin Terr, del Fuego, where a 



^alft^^L^ m S^ tr ^ m Wf ' y:-"8on of the 



soxmlled Z^fWrv*. may be of this nature : witocM the Lepidotlen- 



>lroH aSetpkalum, of which it is impossible to say whether it be a 

 Lrpidottrobui or the apex of a branch crowded with short leaves. 

 Were the Fuegian plant to occur in a fossil state tha probability is, 

 that its cones would be regarded as undoubted reproductive organs, 

 and the plants themselves be referred to Con if era;." 



(Hooker, On tht Structure and Affini'.ia of Lepidottrobi, in Trent- 

 action! of Geological Surrey of Great Jlritain.) 



LEPIDO3TEUS, a genus of Fishes belonging to the family Clupeida. 

 The species are natives of tropical America. They are remarkable for 

 their long teeth, which have their anterior surfaces rasp-like ; the scales 

 are very hard, like stone. The dorsal and anal fins are opposite, and 

 far back. The intestine has two folds and numerous caeca ; the air- 

 bladder is cellular. The species of this genus are interesting, with 

 those of Polypteriu, as being the only living representatives of the vast 

 numbers of extinct voracious fishes whose remains are found in the 

 various secondary formations. [POLYITEUUS.] 



LEPIGONUM, a genus of Plants belonging to the natural order 

 Paronychiacccc. It has 5 fiatish sepals ; petals 5, entire, as long as the 

 calyx ; stamens from 5 to 10 ; styles 8- or 5 ; fruit 3- to 5-valved, many- 

 seeded, valves fewer than the sepals, or alternate with them. 



L. ruorum is found in sandy fields near the sea in Great Britain, 

 ft has a round stem, flat leaves linear-pointed, capsules about equal- 

 ling the calyx, rather shorter than the slightly declining fruit-stalks ; 

 seeds triangular, obovate, with a thickened rough border; stem 

 procumbent. 



L. marintun lias a compressed stem, fleshy leaves, blunt apiculate, 

 capsules exceeding the calyx, much shorter than the declining fruit- 

 stalks ; seeds roundish, usually surrounded by a membranous striated 

 wing ; the root is almost woody ; stem glabrous or glandular, hairy- 

 It is found on the sea-coast. 



(Itabington, Manual of Briiith Botany.) 



LUPIDO'TUS, a genus of Fossil Ganoid Fishes, abundant in the 

 Oolitic Ktnita. ( Aga<aiz.) 



LKPISMA. [TIIYSAN-UIU.] 



LEP'ORIDvE, a family ofjlodcntin, the type of which may bo con- 

 sidered as existing in the Common Hare. 



Liumcus characterised his genus //</>, the second of his order 

 GKrei, as having two incisor teeth (denies primores 2), the upper 

 ones double, the interior being the least, and lie placed the following 

 under it, namely, Lcpui timitliu, L. cunieulia, L. Capeiwu, and L. Km- 

 lilientii. Omelin added several species, some of which had no claim 

 to a place among the Hares. 



Cuvier characterised the Hares as having the proper incisor teeth 

 double ; that is to say, each of them has, behind, another smaller one. 

 Their molars, to the number of five, are formed each of two vertical 

 lamina soldered together. In the upper jaw there is a sixth, which 

 is simple and very small. They have five toes before and four behind, 

 an enormous caecum, five or six times larger than the stomach, and 

 furnished within with a spiral lamina (lame spirale), which runs 

 throughout its length. The interior of their mouth and the bottom 

 of their feet are furnished with hair, like the rest of their body. Ho 

 divides the group into 



1. The Hares, properly so called, which have long ears, a short tail, 

 the hind feet much longer than the fore feet, imperfect clavicles, and 

 the suborbital space in the skeleton pierced like net-work (en reseau). 

 The speck's are, he observes, rather numerous, and so much alike, that 

 it is difficult to define them. 



2. Of Lagomyt, his 2nd division, he says that the species composing 

 it have the ears moderate, the legs not much differing from each other, 

 nearly perfect clavicles and no tail : they have hitherto, he adds, been 

 only found recent in Siberia, and fossil remains of an unknown specie* 

 have been detected in the Osseous Breccia of Corsica. 



Dr. Gray's third family of the order (Hint is named Lcnorida, and 

 is thus denned :- 



Cutting teeth two iu each jaw, or four in the upper one, lower one 

 subsubulate; grinders numerous, rootless; cars generally large; 

 tongue often hairy : eyes large ; clavicles none ; forefeet short; hinder 

 ones Jong; tail none, or very short, hoiry ; fur soft. 



t Cutting-teeth four above. 

 1. Lfiiorina, genus Lepui (f). 2. La.gom.ina, genus Lagomyt. 



tt Cutting-teeth, two above. 



8. Can'ina. genera Kcrodon, F. Cuv. 4. Hydrocliarina (Hydro- 

 cboorina (f), genus Jlydrochariu (Hydrochosrus), Brisson. 5. Doty- 

 porcyna (Dasyproctina f), genera Cudogenyi, lllig., Daiyporca (Dasy- 

 proct* f), lllig., IMichotif, Desm. 



Mr. Swainson defines the genus Ltpw* thus : Cutting teeth , the 

 upper in pairs two iu front, Urge and grooved, and two smaller behind ; 



lower teeth square; grinders -^-, composed of two soldered vertical 



6 6 



plates; a sixth, very small, in the upper jaw ; solos of the feet hairy ; 

 anterior feet with five toes ; posterior with four ; tail very short, turned 

 upwards. 



L. timidui, the Common Hare. 



Layomyi, Geoff., Mr. Swainson appears to give as a sub-genus of 

 Ltput 



