626 EEPOET — 1881. 



whatever to those of either Lepidodendroid and Sipilhirian plants, or to those of 

 ferns ; they approach much more closely to the mixed forms seen in the Cycadese, 

 to -which group of plants they most probahly belong. 



Intervening between these layers of charcoal tire laj'ers of a wholly different 

 character. These consist of the more bituminous portions of the coal which are 

 separable into two elements — i.e. one or more forms of spores in varying, but 

 most frequently vast, numbers, embedded in a matrix, usually of a dark brown 

 colour when ground sufficiently thin to admit of light being transmitted through 

 it. In most of the coals examined the spores are of two kinds, as shown by 

 Huxley, Dawson, and others, the larger ones, which are macrospores, having 

 even been figured by Witham in his work on the structure of fossil plants. 

 The smaller ones are doubtless true microspores, and, as might be expected, are 

 much more numerous than the macrospores. 



A second and far less numerous group of bods occurs amongst the coals of 

 Eastern Scotland. These are, the 'Paraffin,' ' Parrot,' or ' Gas ' coals. So far as 

 observations have proceeded, these coals display no signs of the presence of mineral 

 charcoals, and they are entirely devoid of macrospores. On the other hand they 

 are densely crowded with small spores imdistinguishable from the microspores of 

 the ordinary coals. Such examples also are much less laniinated than are the 

 heterosporous coals. 



That the combined macrospores and microspores of these latter coals are 

 Lycopodiaceous, there appears little reason to doubt. The nature of the spores in 

 the Parrot or isosporous coals is much less obvious. 



The nature of the brown plasma in which these spores are embedded is open to 

 question. The author is inclined to think that it is the resultant of the vegeta- 

 tive tissues of the various Lepidodendroid and other cryptogamic plants which 

 constituted the great Carboniferous forest, but which were much moi-e liable to 

 decay than were either their own spores or than the supposed Cycadean tissues 

 which constituted the mineral charcoal. The author, however, only advances 

 these views as working hypotheses, which may either be confirmed or modified 

 as he advances with his investigations. 



5. Oil the Halifax Hard Seam. Bij W. Cash, F.G.S. 



The Coal-measures in the district around Halifax belong to the lower portion 

 of the Ganister Beds, and, lying conformably upon the Rough Rock, which is the 

 uppermost bed of the Millstone-grit series, attain, to the east of the town, a thick- 

 ness of about 500 feet. 



The measures are capped by the Elland flagstone, and the following is the 

 order of superposition : — 



feet incliea 



Elland Flagstone, Shales, &c 120 - 



80 yards baud (coal) — 6 



Shales, &c 110 - 



48 yards band (coal) 1 - 



Shales, &c. . . ' , . • 36 - 



.'j6 yards baud (coal) — 7 



Fire-clay . . ... . . . . . . 3 — 



Shales, &c 90 - 



Shale with nodules containing fossil shells, fish-remains, [ in _ 



and fossil wood (Dadoxylon) .....( 

 Halifax Hard Bed (c(jal) with nodules containing fossil | ^ r, 



^\M\t-remmn?. ^\\\\ minuie structure preserved . . j 



Ganister and Stigmarian roots 3 - 



Shales, &c. .......... f?5 - 



Middle band (coal) — 6 



Shales, &c. (including beds containing Anthracosiaj and \ .-,- _ 



Spiralis j 



