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highly developed as the Fucus of our own coasts, are numerous 
enough. 
3. At the close of the Silurian period, the great tribe of 
Club-mosses made its appearance, in an anomalous form; and 
thenceforward through the Devonian and Carboniferous eras 
developed enormously in variety, and of size unknown in 
modern times. With these, during the same period, Ferns in 
great variety, Hqwmsetacew of giant size, (Calamites) and Si- 
gilaria,—a tree, which, related to all the higher Oryptogamia, 
rose almost to a level in structure with the Cycad. And here, 
in the Coal-measures, Cycadew and Coniferous trees began to 
abound. ‘The rank of these amongst flowering plants has been 
questioned, but no one who considers their manner of growth, 
imperfect inflorescence, and naked seeds, can doubt that they 
are inferior to the Oak and the Magnolia,—the rose and the 
lily of modern times. 
4. The botany of the secondary period is less known than 
it should be. But Cycads and Conifer appear to have risen 
to their maximum therein; while traces only of a few aquatic 
Monocotyledons are found, to justify us in arranging with these, 
a few doubtful plants which seem to belong to this order in 
the higher Coal-measures, but the nature of which is still 
sub judice. I refer to such plants as Antholithes and Pothocttes 
in the coal; and to the Naiadacew (pond-weeds, &.) found 
sparingly in Oolitic strata. 
5. The Cretaceous period abounded in Conifers, but in- 
cluded in its upper portion true Dicotyledons and Monocotyle- 
dons, yet the Iguanodon must have browsed chiefly on marshy 
ferns and marsh-loving firs and cypresses, while the Tertiary 
flora was being ushered in. 
6. The Tertiary flora, though capable of much subdivision, 
so much resembles part of our own forest fauna, that it is need- 
less to speak more fully of it in this short paper. With a distri- 
bution of forms wholly unlike what obtains at the present day, 
1 
