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IJKMAIXS IN THE COAL-FOiniATION OF NOVA SCOTIA. 



G33 



o.ninioii, i.ml tl.oiv wore n.m.onms sixrini.i.s of tl.o littk- imtli'ts Nvliicl. 1 l.avc vUv- 

 wluM-o imnu'il Tri,ju,>o,;npum ><i;/ill„n,r,'' im.l Nvliiul. jmist be fniits fithiT ..f S,,/;i/an<i 

 Of *.f CorJalft's. I'inimlcs of Jlrtl,nj,f,rls hmchitiva were also occasionally ii.et with, 

 and fVajrn.ei.ts of Cahnnitv.s. In one tuc tliciv occuiivd so I.ti'^re a mass of aerial roots 

 of the type un'mronius, as to render it prohahle that these roots may have grown in 

 the interior of the decaying tree. 



With refi'rence to the mode of occurrence of the animal remains, it is to he observed 

 that from the numner of their entombment all the bones of each specimen must be 

 present in the matrix. ( >n the otlio,- hand, having dropped asunder on decay of the 

 soft parts, and having ])cen liable to distiirliaiice by water dripping into the truid<s, 

 they are often much displaced. In sonic instances, also, tliey have evidently fallen 

 into the crevices of loose vegetable matter, aftei'wards consolidated. l'.esides this, the 

 original ineipiality of the surfaces of deposit has been increa.sed by the effect of 

 pressure in depressing the ccMitre, so as to give a basin-form to the layers and to 

 ])roduce a certain amount of displacement at tlie sides. The etlcct of this is increased 

 by the circum.stancc that some of tlie amphibia seem to have crejit close to the sides 

 of the cavity in which they were imprisoned, and to have died in that position, so 

 that their Ijones lie close to the baik, and in the ])ortion of the deposit most bent by 

 pressure. It is thus dillicult to collect the whole of the bones belonging to a skeleton, 

 and impossible to expose some of them without destroying others. 1 ha\e been 

 obliged, in conscfpieiict', to endeavour to secure and exjjose the more important por- 

 tions of the skeleton in as perfect condition as possible, and in many instances it has 

 jH-oved possible to recover only a portion of the bones. 'i"he state of iireservation of 

 the remains is very different in difVcrcnt laveis. In some cases considerable portions 

 of the cuticle remain in a carbonised state ; this has occurred when carcases have been 

 (piickly covci'cd with moist delnis, or pcnii:incntly water-soaked, so that the soft parts 

 could become carbonis(>d instead of decaying away. These portions of cuticle are 

 unfortunately not laid out flat, so as to show the form of the animal, but nmch folded 

 and crumpled ; and it would seem that wlicic the cuticle has been this jireserved the 

 bones have been specially liable to decay. The bones are often much softer than the 

 matrix and of a biownish coloiu', but in some instances they are quite white and in 

 excellent preservation, (hi a few of the suii'aces they have been partially removed by 

 the pcr'.'olation of water, Their cavities are usually occuj)ied with calcite, but some- 

 times with pyrlte. Whi'u slici'd they geniMally show their microscopic structure in a 

 good state of preservation, though the pri'.st'iico of hard grains of jiyrite in the softer 

 bone often makes it diflicidt to prepare sati.'-factory slices. In a few cases boiios of 

 small amphil)ia and shells of y\/y)i( cctnstn have been found included in the mineral 

 charcoal which forms the lowi'st layers in the trees, as if these animals had crejit into 

 the interstices of the fragments of decaying wood and bark. 



* ' Aoiidinn Gcnldiiv,' p. 17". 

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