E. A. Newell Arber—Fossil Plants, Gloucester Coal-field. 243 
Some thirty years ago, the Newent Colliery Company sank two 
shafts on the site of former workings below White House, about 
three-quarters of a mile due west of Oxenhall Church, to the north- 
west of Newent. These pits have also been long since abandoned. 
By digging, however, in the old waste-heaps of this colliery, Mr. Rogers 
was able to unearth a few fragments of fronds. These were the 
only other specimens which we could obtain, even after a careful 
examination of all the outcrops of the Coal-measures in the district. 
So far as I am aware no plant remains have ever been previously 
collected from this coal-field, nor do I know of any reference to such 
specimens in any book or paper. The fossils discussed here are thus 
unique as regards locality. 
A few fragmentary pith-casts of Calamites occur, one of which is 
possibly Calamites Suckowi, Brongn., but the specimens are too 
fragmentary to permit of specific determination. Two types of 
Calamite foliage were found, a single specimen of Annularia radiata, 
Brongn., and several examples of Calamocladus equisetiformis (Schloth.), 
which appears to be common. 
Among the Fern-like fronds, those of Pecopteris are particularly 
abundant, and probably more so than any other plant. There appear 
to be at least three species. Unfortunately, not only does the 
fragmentary nature of the specimens render them unfavourable for 
specific determination, but the nervation is as a rule very indistinct. 
Pecopteris oreopterrdia (Schloth.), the characteristic nervation of 
which is seen in several examples, almost certainly occurs and is 
particularly abundant. Pecopteris Miltoni (Artis) appears to be also 
common. Other fronds apparently belong to Pecopteris arborescens 
(Sehloth.), but their attribution is more doubtful, for the nervation 
cannot be clearly seen in any example, though specimens do occur in 
which the veins are apparently simple. 
Two small specimens, each showing a few pinnules of Meuropteris 
rarinervis, Bunb., were collected, in which the nerves are very clear 
and characteristic. Fragments of Sphenopterid fronds, recalling 
Sphenopteris obtusiloba, Brongn., were found, but are too small to be 
determined with certainty. 
Small leafy branches of a Lepidodendron are frequent, and the 
characteristic striated bark! of an unknown genus, which has been 
found in several other coal-fields, is also represented. A single, 
poorly preserved leaf of Cordaztes completes the list. 
The above specimens were all collected from the well-sinking at 
Great Boulsden. From the disused Newent Colliery heaps, one or 
two specimens of Weuwropteris Scheuchzert, Hoffm., and a fragment of 
a pinnule with a net nervation, belonging either to Lonchopteris or 
Dictyopteris, perhaps the former rather than the latter, were the only 
plants obtained, with the exception of some Lycopod macrospores. 
The collection from the Newent Coal-field is too small to determine 
the horizon of the beds with certainty. So far as it goes it indicates 
that the zone is higher than the Middle Coal-measures, but whether 
Upper Transition Series or Upper Coal-measures cannot be definitely 
1 See Arber, Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc., ser. B, vol. cxcvii, p. 310, pl. xx, fig. 12. 
