E. A. Neu-ell Arher—The Ingleton Coal-field. 81 



Geological Survey,^ there is apparently a perfect succession, passing 

 np from the Yoredales, thi'ough the Millstone Grits, to the Lower and 

 Middle Coal-measures. The coal-measures are in part overlain by 

 a series of red rocks, which have been assigned to the Permian, as in 

 the case of other of the Midland Coal-fields. In the index of the 

 Survey map of the north-eastern portion of the coal-field, the Deep 

 Coal is taken as the top of the Lower, and the bottom of the Middle 

 Coal-measures. 



So far as I am aware no fossil plants have hitherto been recorded 

 from the coal-field.^ The specimens discussed here are in the 

 Sedgwick Museum, Cambridge,^ and were collected during the visits 

 of Professor Hughes' field classes to the district in 1886 and on other 

 occasions. Another collection, formed by the donor from the same 

 locality, has recently been presented to the Museum by Miss Elles. 

 The plants occur both in the shales and also in the clay ironstone 

 nodules, as is so commonly the case in the Midlands. They were 

 chiefly obtained from the waste heap of Newfield Pits, Ingleton. 

 The section of this colliery is published in the Survey Memoir.* The 

 Coal-measures penetrated in these pits are only 1 14^ feet in thickness, 

 and include the Crow, Main or Four Foot, and the Six Foot Coals. 

 The specimens in shale presented by Miss Elles were obtained in 

 situ from the shales forming the roof of the Six Foot Coal. The 

 ironstone nodules no doubt occur in more than one bed. They are 

 frequent in the so-called ' soapstone ', or argillaceous shales, above 

 the lowest seam. There is thus little doubt that all the specimens 

 described here were closely associated. 



The flora of these beds, though small, is of much interest. 

 There is a considerable variety of fern-like fronds, including one 

 belonging to Sphenopteris, which may be compared with S. Laurenti^ 

 Andrse, but which is not sufficiently well pi-eserved to be determinable 

 specifically. There are several Neuropterids, Neuropteris acuminata 

 (Schloth.) being frequent. iV^. heterophylla, Brongn., N. obliqua 

 (Brongn.), and N.gigantea, Sternb., also occur. Cyclopterid pinnules of 

 the type of Cyclopteris tricJiomanoides^ Sternb., are present. Alethop- 

 teris is probably represented by three species — A. loncMtica (Schloth.), 

 A. decurrens ( Artis), and A. davreuxi (?) (Brongn.). Mariopteris muricata 

 (Schloth.) is frequent, and it is especially interesting to find that 

 several examples of Bictyopteris sub- Brongniarti, Grand'Eury, have 

 been collected, and that this plant appears to be of fairly frequent 

 occurrence. 



'I'he Lycopods are represented by stems of Lepidodendron ohovatum, 

 Sternb., and L. lycopodioides, Sternb., as well as a large number of 

 leafy twigs, some of which no doubt belong to the latter species. 

 A single specimen of Lepidophloios laricinus, Sternb., is present. 



•^ As is well known, this coal-field is intersected by four sheets of the Geol. Surv. 

 Maps. Sheets N.S. 49 (= 98 S.E. of O.S.) and N.S. 50 (= 97 S.W. of O.S.), 

 however, contain the greater part of the area of Upper Carboniferous rocks. 



^ Davis & Lees (ibid., p. 169), however, noticed the occurrence of fossil plants 

 in the ironstone nodules of the Coal-measures. 



3 Carb. Plant. Coll., Nos. 1114, 1360-1, 1364, 1367-8, 1370-1, and 2178-2209. 



* Dakyns, ibid., p. 81. 



DECADE v. — VOL. IX. — NO. II. 6 



