ORYCTOLOGY. 



substances, which have undergone differ- 

 ent degrees of bituminization, with wa- 

 ter, holding- the earths or the metals in 

 solution. Thus with lime is formed the 

 calcareous wood or wood-marble of Ox- 

 fordshire and Dorsetshire, of Piedmont 

 and of Bohemia ; with silex is formed the 

 calcedonified, agatified, and jasperified 

 wood (Holzstein) ; and with the addition 

 of alumine, &c. the fossil woods which 

 now partake of the nature of pitch-stone, 

 and waxopal (Holzopal). In other situa- 

 tions, metallic impregnations occur ; as in 

 such woods as are impregnated with the 

 pyrites of iron, so frequently found in 

 our islands; and the beautiful woods of Si- 

 beria, containing the hydrate and carbo- 

 nate of copper. 



Various parts of trees and plants (phy- 

 tolithi) are found in a mineralized state. 

 Not only fossil wood (lithoxylon), as has 

 been just noticed, but the leaves (iitho- 

 pylla or lithobiblia), and fruits (carpo- 

 lithi) of different trees or plants are thus 

 found. Of the woods, several, from their 

 form and texture, have been supposed to 

 have been originally oak, willow, and 

 such trees as now exist in a recent state ; 

 whilst others differ, in both these re- 

 spects, from any species of wood which 

 is now known. 



The impressions of the stalks and 

 leaves of plants are very frequently 

 found in many parts of the world, in 

 lofty mountains, as well as at a consider- 

 able depth below the surface ; and 

 not only the impressions, but the sub- 

 stance itself of different vegetables are 

 also thus found ; but in no situation more 

 frequent than in the neighbourhood of 

 coal mines. 



In general these vegetable remains 

 are found deposited in lamina, in the 

 schistose strata which accompany the 

 coal ; but the most perfect remains are 

 commonly found in roundish nodular 

 masses of ferruginous clay, which abound 

 in the strata accompanying the coal. 

 These are commonly termed catsheads 

 by the workers of the coal mines, and 

 contain pieces of fern, &c. very few, 

 indeed, of which are found to agree with 

 any known recent plants. One of these 

 plants, preserved in coal slate, is shewn, 

 Plate I. ORYCTOIOGY, fig. 1. The ve- 

 getable remains in these fossils appear 

 to confirm the opinion above mention- 

 ed, of the bituminization of fossil ve- 

 getables ; since these leaves are com- 

 pletely changed into a bituminous sub- 

 stance. 



The remains of fruits are, perhaps, no 



where found so abundantly as in the Ible 

 of Sheppey, where they are dug up in 

 great variety ; very few, however, being 

 found which agree with any known re- 

 cent fruits. Where any resemblance ap- 

 pears, it is with fruits which only grow 

 in the warm Asiatic regions. Plate I. fig. 

 2, represents a fossil fruit which was found 

 in the cliff of Sheppey. 



Fossil roots of plants of trees are very- 

 rare ly found ; a circumstance not very 

 easily explained ; since they possess (es- 

 pecially the roots of trees) that degree 

 of solidity which appears to be favourable 

 to the process of petrifaction. From the 

 want of this necessary property it un- 

 doubtedly is, that we possess so few re- 

 mains of tender flower leaves, and none 

 of pulpy fruits. 



From the same cause, the great prone- 

 ness to decomposition, the number of 

 animal fossils is considerably limited : 

 those substances being only preserved in 

 a mineralized state which originally pos- 

 sessed a considerable degree of solidity ; 

 such are the bones, teeth, horns, shells, 

 scales, &c. The animal, however, far 

 exceeds the vegetable kingdom in the 

 number and variety of fossils which it 

 yields, as well as in the distinctness of 

 form, and excellency of preservation, in 

 which they are found. 



Adopting in a great measure the ar- 

 rangement of Waller, we shall commence 

 our examination of the animal fossils 

 with those which have derived their 

 origin from corals. These fossils are, 

 of course, merely the remains of the 

 dwellings which have been formed by 

 the various coral insects, and which are 

 so frequently found in the cabinets of the 

 curious. 



Immediately on commencing this exa- 

 mination, we are struck with a similar 

 want of agreement between the recent 

 and fossil corals, with that which has 

 been noticed between recent and fossil 

 vegetables. Of the genus Tubipora it 

 does not appear, at least by the obser- 

 vations made in Mr. Parkinson's second 

 volume of " The Organic Remains of a 

 former World," that a single species 

 which is known recent has been found 

 as a fossil. Several fossil species are, 

 however, described, of which nothing 

 similar is known in a recent state. The 

 most striking of these is the Tubipora 

 catenularia, or chain coral, the surface of 

 which, in consequence of the tubes be- 

 ing in contact at their sides, has frequent- 

 ly a very curious reticulated or catenu- 

 lated appearance. Plate I. fig. 4, repre- 



