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830 



J. NV. DWVSON (»N 





UCIMKN OK DIl'I.ttWLON 



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Note on a Rpkcimkn of l)ii'i-oxvi,nx from the Coai.-I'okmaiion nj 

 Now Stu.TiA. Ky J. W. Dawson, I.L.I)., F.R.S., F.d.S. 



In a recent visit to the Soutli .Iog<i;iiis, with the view of further 

 htudyiii}? the fossils of thiit district, and more espeeially of Kearoliiiii; 

 for reptilian remains in any erect stump.s of >Siiflll<tri(( Ihat nii^rlit 

 have been exposed hy the action of tlie w.ives, 1 was zealonsly aided 

 by my friend Mr. Albert J. Hill. Manaj;er of tlie Cumberland Mine*, 

 who, after my departure, determined t(j take down ?ome erect trees 

 occurring in beds lower in the section tlian those containinij: tlie 

 reptilian remains. In jjursuing this investij:;ation he discovered a'l 

 erect tree twelve feet in heiglit, having the whole of its woody a.xis 

 perfectly preserved, in .s/7»«, and showing structure. As thisapjx'ars 

 to me to be important with retereiue to (juestions now in discus- 

 sion, I beg to j)resent to the Society Mr. Jiill's description of the 

 specimen and some remarks on its structure and alKnities. 



Mr. Hill thus describes the mode of occurrence of the H])ccimcn : — 

 " The tree in question stood i)artially exposed near the t(»p ot a per- 

 pendicular cliff, one hundred and twelve feet above the beach (tig. 1 ). 

 The means of rejiching and successfully extracting it from the massive 

 sandstone stratum in which it was still half imbedded, was a pro- 

 blem of no easy solution. The diflicnlty, however, was overcome by 

 an adventurous workman, who undertook, by means of a ladder at- 

 tached by a rope to a small tree upon tlie surface, to descend to a 

 sloping ledge formed by the jutting-out of a coal-seam and super- 

 incumbent debris, and to form there a 'standage' from which sub- 

 sequent operations could be carried on. Having successfully estab- 

 lished himself in his eyry, the tree, which, from exposure to the 

 weather and the action of the frost, readily divided itself into sec- 

 tions, was sent up piece by ])iece in safety to the surface. 



" On removing the clay which covered the upjier extremity of the 

 stump, I was struck with the unusual apjiearance of a well-preserved 

 stem or axis in the sandstone cast, and which exhiliitcd structure in 

 a remarkably distinct manner, though here from ex])osure it had l»e- 

 come somewhat friable. Further down, however, it was perfectly 

 calcified and showed its structure distinctly, except in the centre, 

 which was occupied with a core of ])erfectly cylindrical form and 

 consisting of grey sandstone. The outer surface of the axis is lon- 

 gitudinally striate, without joints, and occujues a position near tlic 

 side of the cast, from wliich it is separated tliioughout by rather more 

 than iis own diameter, or about three inches. 



* We were so fortunntp aa to find nn erect Sii/i/Un/d ('(intiiiiiiiig the ri'innins 

 of no less than fhlrhvn nninfl l>iilriicliiini!», bclonffitif; tn six Hpccics. two nl' lluni 

 new. So soon as lliese can Ix* worked out fVoni llic nialnx, I liope to bring 

 them \nider llio intioo ot tliis Society. 



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