ON MINERAL VEINS IN CARBONIFEROUS LIMESTONE. 375 



freshwater remains of Hydrohia, Planorhis, Valvata, and Lithoc/lyphus. 

 Entomostraca of at least ten species, Conodonts of several varieties, and fish- 

 remains of the genera Petalodus, Orodus, &c. 



The Alston mines have yielded about twelve species of univalves, though 

 they are not in good condition ; Eoraminifera are present, but are rare, and 

 fish-remains of the genera Petalodus. 



The Weardale mines, and those of Allenheads, are comparatively not rich, 

 the vein-stuff in them being much mineralized. Conodonts occur in the former, 

 Entomostraca rather abundantly in the latter, and also, though rarely, the 

 genus Hydrohia. In these veins, and also at Alston, I have detected, for 

 the first time, large cells of a foraminiferous shell, for which Mr. Brady 

 suggests the generic name Carter ia. 



In the White and Silver Band mines remains are somewhat rarely dis- 

 tributed, the richest deposit being a friable ochreous sandstone, on the "sun" 

 side of the Silver Band Old Mine, which yielded many specimens of Hydrohia, 

 and one or two of Valvata anomala, several genera of Foraminifera, includ- 

 ing Irivolutina and Dentalina, with Conodonts and portions of teeth of Psam- 

 modus. 



The Mount-Pleasant mines of Mold contain Foraminifera, and also the 

 freshwater Hydrohia, though rarely, and Conodonts rather abundantly; but 

 they are especially remarkable for the great variety of fish-remains they 

 yield, which ajipear to represent at least ten different genera. Mixed with 

 the " dowks" of the mine are occasionally small pieces of laminated stone, 

 the surfaces of which exhibit numerous traces of fish-scales. 



Tlie researches I have been making have involved very considerable labour 

 and minute investigation; but as they will to some extent have opened iip a 

 new field of inquiry, I hope they will not be without some results. Before 

 concluding, I desire to refer to several of the more interesting palaeontological 

 facts wliich have been obtained. 



Flemingites yraciJis, Carr. — These are the almost microscopic sporangiiB or 

 seeds of a coniferous tree of the Carboniferous period, which have been 

 described and figured by my friend Mr. Carruthers in the ' Geological Maga- 

 zine,' vol. ii. p. 443, my first acquaintance with which was by finding a 

 single specimen in the Fallowfield Mine, followed soon after by another 

 from the Silver-Band mines. It is remarkable, when a key is once obtained 

 to the discovery of certain organic remains, how soon our knowledge of the 

 class may be increased. In the instance of these minute seeds, I have since 

 found them abundantly in the Carboniferous series of Staffordshire, and within 

 the last few weeks more abundantly still in the Coal-measures of Kadstock, 

 Somersetshire. At this j^lace there is a horizontal bed of some thickness, 

 intercalated with the coal-seams, which appears to be almost wholly composed 

 of these little organisms ; and, extraordinary as it may seem, it is not far 

 from the truth when I say that I could supply specimens of them by the 

 ton weight ! 



Conodonts. — In many of the lists of fossils I have given, the presence of 

 these curious organisms may be seen. Hitherto they have not been found 

 by any one but myself above Lower Silurian rocks, though no doubt they 

 may henceforth be detected in the strata of great thickness intervening be- 

 tween the Ludlow bone-bed and the Carboniferous period from whence my 

 specimens come. I have not only found them in the lead-veins, but also in 

 stratified beds of Carboniferous Limestone at Almondsbury near Bristol. 



The series of these remarkable microscopic bodies I have discovered yield 

 much greater variety than any hitherto obtained, and consequently present 



