88 



FOSSILS. 



often in great numbers, 

 in the clays which ac- 

 company the lignites, 

 in the characters of 

 which we distinctly re- 

 cognise existing dicoty- 

 ledons, such as walnuts, 

 maples, elms, birches, 

 &c. (figs. 168, Ki9). 

 Even fruits are found 

 which are distinguish- 

 ed, often with difficulty, 

 from those now grow- 

 ing. 

 Fig. US. Leaf of an un- 34. We also find in 



dete, mined elm. thig f ormationj 



the midst of 

 deposits of 



Fig. 169. Complonia combustible - 

 a'cutilo'ba. as j n those of 



Liblar near Cologne, or in the ar- 

 gilla'ceous or sandy matter of the 

 formation, the remains of monoco- 

 ty'ledonous plants : there is word 

 presenting the structure of the 

 palms, that is, an assemblage of 

 \voody fasciculi (bundles), longi- 

 tudinally arranged, without regard Fig- 170. Strvcture of the wood 



to regularity, in the middle of cel- 



Fig. 171. L'almacites Lamanonis. 



of palms. 



lular tissue, as seen (fg- 

 170). Leaves like the 

 representation (fig. 171) 

 are also met with. We 

 find, too, in the miocene 

 gypsum of the same na- 

 ture as that of the Paris 

 basin, which has led to 

 the supposition that they 

 we~e of the same epoch ; 

 but besides this section of 

 country being formed of 

 the "molasse," the or- 

 ganic remains are not of 

 the same species. 



Towards the close of the 

 miocene, or second epoch of 



24. How do we recognise the previous existence of monocoty'Iedonoito 

 -plants from their fossil remains ? 



