IG THE CARBONIFEROUS. 



London to aid in the exploration of erect trees containing reptilian 

 remains at the South Joggins, a very full examination was made of 

 these singular repositories under the superintendence of the author, 

 and the results were published in a memoir of thirty-eight pages in 

 the Transactions of the Royal Society, with nine plates. The facts 

 stated may be summarised as follows, and will be understood on 

 reference to the account of previous explorations in chapter xviii. of 

 this work. 



The explorations referred to were carried on chiefly in the beds at 

 Coal Mine Point, South Joggins, Nova Scotia; and their object was 

 to make an exhaustive examination of the contents of erect trees 

 found at that place and containing remains of Batrachians and other 

 land animals. 



A detailed section was prepared of the beds containing the erect 

 trees in question, with lists of their fossil remains. The mo.st 

 important part of the section is the following : — 



Sandstone with erect Calamite and Stigmaria 



roots 6 ft. 6 in. 



Argillaceous sandstone, Calamites^ Stigmaria^ 



Alethopteris louchitica 1 ,, 6 ,, 



Gray shale, with numerous fossil plants, and 



also JVaiadites, Carbonia, and fish .scales 2 „ 4 „ 



Black coaly shale, with similar fossils 1 „ 1 ,, 



Coal, with impressions of Sigillaria bark ,, 6 „ 



On the surface of the coal stand many erect Sigillarice, penetrating 

 the beds above, and .some of them nearly three feet in diameter at the 

 base and nine feet in height. In the lower part of many of these 

 erect trees there is a deposit of earthy matter, blackened with carbon 

 and vegetable remains, and richly stored with bones of small reptiles, 

 land snails, and Millipedes. Detailed descriptions of the contents of 

 these trees are given in the memoir, and it is shown that on decay 

 of the woody axis and inner bark they must have constituted open 

 cylindrical cavities, in which small animals sheltered themselves, or 

 into which they fell and i-emained imprisoned. These natural traps 

 must have remained open for some time on a subaerial surface. 



In all twenty-five of these erect trees were discovered and 

 extracted, and the productive portions of them preserved and care- 

 fully examined. Of these, fifteen proved more or less produc- 

 tive of animal remains. From one no less than twelve reptilian 

 .skeletons were obtained. In a few instances, not only the bone.s, but 



