Miscella neons. 127 



but one species and a second doubtful one were known from these 

 coal-bearing beds. The bed in which the plants were found was a 

 thin shale-band cropping out below high-tide level on the coast, about 

 1| miles south of Brora. According to Prof. Judd's mapping, this 

 reef would come within the boundary of the Lower Oolite, although 

 from the more recent Geological-Survey map it appears to come in 

 the position of the Middle Oolite. It forms a band 2 or 3 inches 

 thick in a barren grey shale, and the impressions are fragmentary 

 except in the case of Ginlr/o, some of the leaves of which are 

 practically perfect and show the veining of the lamina, and in some 

 cases (after suitable treatment) the minute detail of the epidermis. 

 Seven species of plants are identified, one of them being new, and 

 four other species admitting of generic identification ; and most of 

 these species are identical with those obtained from the Inferior 

 Oolite of Yorkshire. The minute structure of the leaves of Ginlyo 

 is compared with those of G. hiloha, and proves the species to be 

 quite distinct. The plants found are those of a land-area, probably 

 with firm ground surrounding pools or shallow water, as indicated 

 by the fact that Ginl-go and Equisetites are the two commonest 

 forms. 



MISCELLANEOrS. 



Altuiii's Squirrel Names. By Gerkit S. Miller. 



Dr. Ernst Harxert has caUed my attention to some overlooked 

 names for squirrels proposed more than thirty years ago by Altum, 

 in the second edition of the ' Forstzoologie.' The technical account 

 of Sciionis vulgaris occupies pages 73-75 of the volume on mammals, 

 and, as the typical red German form is considered too well-known 

 to need special description, is chiefly concerned with a detailed 

 account of the peculiar varieties or special colour-phases of the 

 species. Three of these phases occur in Central Germany together 

 with the red form, while three others are considered as definite 

 geographical subspecies. All are technically named in a short 



fuscoatra, tief castauieubraun [Ilarz, 



Sclilesien"]. 

 niffrescens, die schwiirzlichen in Fichteu- 



reviereu [Schlesieu]. 

 brunnea, erdig graubraun (" t/raca, al- 



pina ") [Elsass-Lothringen]. 

 quadricolor, dieibenhorster Form [Ibeu- 



horst, Ostprussen]. 

 cincrea, die westsibirischeu, hellgrau mit 



rothlicher Uiickoninitte [Kasan]. 

 atrocinerea, die tielgriuien ostsibirischeu 



[aussersteu Osten]. 



