74 REPORT — 1869. 



Sjjlienopteris Himplu-esiana, after a gentleman (Mr. H. T. Humphreys) who 

 worked most indefatigably at this quarry, from which he obtained a large 

 collection of valuable specimens. 



On our late visit we were fortunate eiiough to procure perhaps the finest 

 specimen extant oi Palceojyteris Hibernica, measuring about four feet in length, 

 with its base of attachment and fertile pinnules shown at the lower portion. 



A few fragments only of Sjjhenopteris Hooherl were collected ; but we ob- 

 tained a finer example of ;S'. Uum])liresiana than any that had been before met 

 with, being a branch or stem with several alternating pinnules arranged upon it. 



Large closely fluted stems, which I had formerly regarded as being iden- 

 tical with Sagenar'ia VeltJieimiana, and which, with others of a somewhat 

 similar character, Dr. Haughton has described under the name of Ci/clostif/ma, 

 are also of frequent occurrence at this quarry: one of these stems measured 

 six feet in length, with a diameter of six inches at its lower portion, and 

 even then its commencement or termination could not be ascertained ; the 

 upper portion of this plant having divergent branches, was considered to be 

 a distinct species, and referred to Lejndodendron minutum. Its fruit, of 

 which we obtained remarkably fine specimens, is a cone-like body, formed of 

 elongated scales, some of the detached ones showing very large and distinct 

 sporules at their base ; to these are appended long grass-hke or linear leaves ; 

 it is remarkable, as Dr. Schimper observes, from the fact that no other spe- 

 cies of Lepidodendron of which the fruits are known have such large sporules. 

 That gentleman, through whom we sent a small collection of these fossils 

 to the Museum d'Histoire Naturellc of Strasbourg, of which he is the Di- 

 rector, has done me the honour to name this remarkable plant after me, as 

 he considers it distinct from Sagenaria VeWieimiana, especially in the form 

 of the scales of the fruit, a part, which I had not the opportunity of exa- 

 mining in the latter species. 



Masses of roots with rootlets attached, such as I had observed in Mr. 

 Humphreys's collection, and which he assured me were connected with the 

 last-mentioned stem, were obtained by us from a bed which was permeated 

 by fossils of this character. 



The only example of moUusca found associated with these fossUs, and of 

 which we obtained good specimens, is the large bivalve named Anodonta 

 Julcesii by Prof. Edw. Forbes, after the Director of our Survey in Ireland, 

 whose loss, by death, we have had so lately to deplore. This shell is not 

 uufrequent, and is so closely allied to the recent Swan Muscle, Anodonta 

 cygncea, of oui- freshwater rivers, that it becomes a valuable auxiliary to- 

 wards the presunii)tion as to the freshwater origin of this deposit. It is, 

 however, amongst the class Crustacea, especially that of the Eurypteridaa 

 and Phyllopoda?, that the most important additions have been made to the 

 list of organic remains from this locality by our late visit. 



In one of the earhest collections of fossils made by the Geological Survey 

 at this place, a specimen was obtained, portion of a thoracic or body- segment, 

 ornamented with the peculiar scale-hke markings characteristic of these Crus- 

 tacea : this specimen was labelled by the late Mr. Salter Ewypterus ? Forhesii, 

 with a query as to the genus. In the Journal of the Geological Society, vol. xv. 

 p. 229, the same palaeontologist, in a paper on some species of Eurgpterus, 

 alludes to this specimen, which he figures as being probably identical with 

 Eurypierus'l Scoideri (RUshert), a, Coal-measure species from near Glasgow. 



"NYe have since met with other portions which favours the belief that this 

 specimen belongs to Pterygotus and not Eurypterus. Amongst the collection 

 iust made are two which appear to be heads, although they are not clearly 

 defined ; also a more definite but small example of the basal joint of a 



