340 



OIUJANK3 REMAINS. 



above furnislies the moans of comparing the numbers 

 which existed in each class, during separate periods, 

 or geological eras. 



First Divition. Ancient strata, including lias. 



Speciet. 



Simple univalves, . . . *> 



Simple bivalves, .... 



Multilocular univalves, . . 83J 



237 



Second and Third Dioitiont Remaining strata, above the lias 

 up to diluvian. 



Specie* 



Simple univalves, .... 365 



Simple bivalves, . . 516 



Complicated bivalves. . 07 j^ 



Multilocular univalves, 



147 J 



Hi-'* 



It will thus be perceived, that the number of com- 

 plex species in the first division is nearly equal to 

 those in the immense series of succeeding strata, 134 

 being peculiar to the lowest, and 147 to the remain- 

 der. But the individuals are infinitely more nume- 

 rous in the older strata than in the later, and give a 

 more decided character to those formations than 

 appears from a comparison of genera or species ; and 

 the class of complicated bivalves is wholly limited to 

 this older division. The difference is still more 

 striking when we compare the first with the third 

 division ; the simple univalves in the former being 

 to those in the latter in the proportion of one to 

 seven ; but the complicated species in the same 

 divisions are in the reverse ratio nearly of seventeen 

 to one. On comparing the proportions which the 

 classes of shells under each division bear to each 

 other, differences equally remarkable are observable. 

 Thus the univalves in the first division are to the 

 complex species as one to four; in the second as 

 one to one and one third only ; and in the third, as 

 thirty-two to one ; so that, as a general rule, it may be 

 stated, that the ancient formations are characterized 

 by complicated shells, the middle series by bivalves, 

 and the upper by simple bivalves. 



CLASS IX. CRUSTACEA. 



This class of fossils has been but little attended to, and al- 

 though rich in species, may be considered as a blank in the His- 

 tory of Organic Remains. In the Jurassic limestone fossil crus- 

 tacea abound, and Count Munster has collected about sixty 

 species from a single stratum. 



In the present state, therefore, of this department, we shall 

 not attempt a classification, but merely give two examples, 

 which we nave figured on pi. 65. f 50, is a crab from the Island 

 of Shepey ; f. 47 the claw of a crab from Mjestricht. 



The most widely diffused remains of all this class are the 

 trilobites ; they are found all over the north of Europe, North 

 America, the Andes in South America, India, and in Africa at 

 the Cape of Good Hope. But these have hitherto not been 

 found in any strata which is more recent ilian the carboniferous 

 seriea; and no other crustaceous animals, excepting of these 

 forms, which are also Entromonstraceous, have been found as- 

 sociated with these trilobites : so that during the long periods 

 that must have intervened between the deposits of the first 

 strata containing fossils, and the termination of the coal forma- 

 tion. And it would appear that the trilobites were the only 

 representatives of the Crustacea, which is now so much varied 

 in families, orders, and genera. We have given an example 

 of this family, by a representation of the genus Serolii, with 

 an elongated caudal process, and also of the Calymene Blumen- 

 bachii, f. 95 ; another well marked trilobite, from the transition 

 limestone of Dudley. F. 48 represents a fossil shrimp from 

 Anspach. F. 46, tailed Trilobite from Dudley. 



CLASS X ARACHNIDES. 



The only animal of this class which has been found in a fossil 

 etate, is a scorpion discovered in the ancient coal formation, at the 

 village of Chomle, near Radnitz, on the south-east of Prague. 

 It is remarkable that the horny covering of this scorpion is in 

 a complete state of preservation, being neither decomposed nor 

 carbonized. This substance, which is the same as the elytrine 

 of beetles, seems to have the property of resisting decomposi- 

 tion and mineralization. 



Mr W. Austin found an animal in the ironstone of Colebrook 

 dale, which Mr Prestwich described in the Philosophical Ma- 

 irazine, and supposed it a spider. Professor Buckland has lately 

 laid open that animal, and finds that it is not a spider, but a 

 ' peciea of curculionidae, a coleopterous insect. 



CLASS XI INSECTS. 



There have been extremely few insects found in a mineralized 

 state. Coleopterous inserts of two genera have been found in 

 the ironstone of Colebrook dale. There is in the fine collection 

 of Count Munster, twenty-five species of fossil insects found 

 iu the Jurassic limestone of Solennofen. These are of different 

 orders, viz. libellula, ranatera, and several species of coleopter- 

 ous insects. Marcel says there have been ascertained insects of 

 sixty-twogenera in the tertiary gypsum, fresh water formation 

 of Aix. These belong to the orders Coleoptera, Diptera, and 

 Hemiptera. F. 39, pi. 65, represents an insect in stone from 

 Papeuheim; and figs. 40, 41, 42, and 43, are insects from the 

 coal-slate, as figured by Llwhydd. F. 45 is a wing of an insect 

 in calcarious spar, lately found at Fairybank, parish of Both- 

 well, Lanarkshire, by Mr John Craig of that parish. It w:v. 

 discovered near the bottom of a freestone rock, twenty feet in 

 thickness. 



CLASS XII ECHINODERMATA. 



Professor Goldfuss, who has given minute attention to this 

 department of natural history, is of opinion, that almost all the 

 fossil echini, and asteria, belong to genera now existing. The 

 echini appear to have existed through all the formations from 

 the transition series to the present period ; while the star-fish 

 have not been found in older strata than the Muschel-kalk. We 

 have given a few representations of these. F. 64, an echinus 

 from Calne ; f. 55, a cidaris from the same locality; f. ft* 1 , K 

 nucleolitea from the Cnlcaire Grossier, Normandy; f. 57, a 

 Clypeus sinuatus from Oxfordshire; and a C. rotundatus, f. 59; 

 t 58, a Spantangus Cor from Kent. 



Ot the star fish, we have represented three species ; f. 51, a 

 fossil asteria, found at Horeington ; f. 52, an Uppiwa Millert 

 from the marlstone of Yorkshire ; f. 63, an asterias, which is 

 nearly allied to the A. pentagonaster of Parkinson 



CLASS XIII POLYPI. 



The organic remains of this class are exceedingly perfect in 

 their structure, and extremely numerous. There are beds of 

 limestone almost entirely made up of these fossils, more espe- 

 cially the encrinites. The most conspicuous of these are the 

 entrochial marble of Derbyshire, and the carboniferous lime- 

 stone near Bristol These fossils also abound in the limestone, 

 on the coast of Fife, near King-horn. We have illustrated the 

 order CHINOIDEA, by representations of the encrinus liliforrais, 

 or lily encronite, which abounds in the Muschel-kalk of Ger- 

 many ; f. C7 and C8 is one of the vertebra of this species. Mr 

 Parkinson has shown, that the lily encrinite is composed of the 

 amazing number of 30,000 distinct bones, or articulations. F. 

 70 is a specimen of the tulip alcyonia, or Siphonia, from the 

 green sand of Blackdown. F. 69 is a fossil sponge from Farring- 

 don, which occurs plentifully in the ferruginous sand. F. 61, 

 the Madrepora truncata from Gothland. F. 66, a fossil alco- 

 nite; f. 64, a ramose milleporite, imbedded in compact lime- 

 stone from Wiltshire; f. 63, a branch of Isis from Sicily; f. 62, 

 a branch of ramose alcyonite from Berkshire, nearly allied to 

 A, digitatwn; f. 60, is a ramose tubiporite from Mendip hills. 



FOSSIL VEGETABLES. 



The same striking changes which have been described as hay- 

 ing taken place in the animal kingdom, are equally manifest in 

 the vegetable kingdom. It has been shown, that animal life 

 first exhibited itself in the ocean ; and in like manner we find, 

 that the plants, occurring in tlie older strata, consist of those 

 which have had a marine origin ; and these seem to have been 

 formed as food for the oldest oceanic inhabitants. 



The fossil vegetables, which are distributed through the three 

 geological epochs, indicating, in each respective group, the 

 same successions of the diminution of temperature upon the 

 land, as have been inferred from the remains of vegetables of the 

 sea. Thus in the transition series we have the association of 

 a few existing families, with extinct families, which indicate a 

 climate hotter than the present time. 



In the secondary formations, the fossil families are more nu- 

 merously assimilated to the existing families ; and many of the 

 older families, and even genera, disappear. 



In the tertiary strata, almost all the families of the first series 

 are lost, and even many of the second disappear ; and a more 

 complicated vegetation takes place. In almost all the strata, 

 beautiful, perfect, and very characteristic specimens are con- 

 stantly met with ; and we shall restrict this comprehensive 

 subject to the mere representations of a few striking examples. 



PI. 65, f. 82, calcarious fossil wood found near Bath. F. 71, 

 specimen of schistes, with an impression of the bark of a tree; 

 and f. 73, 74, 75, and 81, the impression of leaves of plants. F. 

 72 is an impression of the stalk of a plant in sandstone ; and f. 

 74 the impression of a leaf on the same substance. F. 78, a nut 

 from the island of Sbeppey, the exact appearance of the kernel 

 is preserved in the case. F. 77 79, and 80, represent fossil 

 nuts found in Leicestershire ; and f. 76 is the representation of 

 anothernut. F.83,fossil bark of a tree; 84, nut; 65,fossil seed pad. 



As respects vegetable remains in a fossil state, 

 subterranean collections of bituminized wood, and 

 other vegetable matter, are found at various depths 

 in different parts of the world. Cannell coal as well 

 as anthracite, frequently exhibits traces of ligneous 

 texture in its substance, which could have been 

 derived only from wood. The argillaceous iron-stone 



