LIGNITE POINTED RODS. 297 



represents the remains, Man also inhabited these regions. 

 These proofs are derived from the locality of Wetzikon, where 

 the deposition of the lignite between two glacial deposits is most 

 completely ascertained. 



The lignite coals from Wetzikon are much employed as fuel 

 in Basle, where the discovery was accidentally made. A legal 

 gentleman, Dr. Scheuermann, had taken an interest in the 

 multifarious impressions of plants contained in the lignite, and 

 had therefore prepared with his own hands the pieces of that coal 

 for his stoves, when he noticed (while he was thus employed) a 

 number of pointed rods, which, although not differing from the 

 surrounding coal, lay imbedded side by side in a large block of 

 the coal ; and he had the kindness to forward the block to Prof. 

 Rutimeyer. He further assisted the Professor in proving with 

 legal certainty, from the books of the commercial house from 

 which he obtained the coals, that the coals were obtained from 

 the " Schoneich " pit, near Wetzikon. 



Four of the rods were taken out, which had been firmly im- 

 bedded side by side in the black lignite, and to a certain extent 

 had amalgamated with it. The best-preserved rod is represented 

 of the natural size in fig. 1 (p. 298) , the broken end ; a" , the 

 artificially cut point ; a f , a part where the rod is disintegrated, 

 so that the interior is seen, which differs from the surrounding 

 coal, c, only by the preserved woody texture, but not in colour. 

 Except for its artificial preparation, the rod does not differ from 

 the remains of wood composing the principal mass of this lignite, 

 which are beautifully preserved. As in these and other [fossil] 

 contents (e.g. the jaws of deer, already mentioned) , the original 

 cylindrical form of the rod has been flattened by pressure, thus 

 affording a sufficient proof that the rod had undergone carboni- 

 zation along with the other constituents of the lignite. 



For a short space, b b f , the rod shows traces of having been 

 tied, such as might have been produced by cords; and these marks 

 have affected both the coal-black bark, which is still preserved 

 (b) , and the somewhat lighter-coloured wood (b r b f ) . ^ 



There is a very similar second piece (fig. 2), which, like the 

 preceding, lies imbedded in the surrounding crumbly coal (c), 

 and to a certain extent forms one mass with it. At a the Ion- 



