6 Dr. H. Woodward — Myriapods of the Coal Period. 



eight specimens of spined Myriapods in my hands, all enclosed in 

 Clay-ironstone nodules similar to those in the Johnson collection. 



Mr. Beale's specimens were obtained from the shales or Clay-bands 

 at the top of the Brooch-coal, Sedgley, near Dudley. 



These ironstone-nodules are considered to occupy a much higher 

 horizon in the Coal-measures than those described by Prof. Prest- 

 wich in his Geology of the Coalbrook-dale Coal-field (Trans. Geol. 

 Soc. Lond. 2nd ser. vol. v. pi. xli. 1840), but many of the organisms 

 are identical from both areas. 



EuPHOBERiA FERox, Salter, sp., 1863. (PI. I.) 

 "A Caterpillar?" Westwood in Brodie's Fossil Insects, 1845, p. xvii, 105, pi. i. fig. 11. 



Eurypterus ? [Arthropleurd) ferox, Salter, Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. 1863, 

 vol. xix. p. 86 (woodcut, fig. 8, reproduced on p. 2, ante). 



Eupholeria ferox, Meek and Worthen, Geol. Surv. Illinois, vol. iii. (Palaeontology) 

 ("A Myriapod!"). 



Euphoberia ferox, H. Woodward ("A Myriapod! "). See Brit. Foss. Crustacea, 

 order Merostomata, Pal. Soc. Mon. 1872, p. 173. 



Huphoberia ferox, Scudder, 1882, Mem. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist. vol. iii. no. v. p. 157. 



Huphoberiaferox, H. Woodw., 1873, Geol. Mag. Vol. X. p. 112 (and 2 woodcuts). 



Acantherpestes Brodiei, Scudder, 1882, op. cit. p. 156. 



I am disposed to refer the whole of the 20 specimens of spined 

 Myriapods, now under consideration, from the Staffordshire Coal- 

 field (most of which have both impression and counterpart pre- 

 served) to one species, namely, to Euphoberia ferox. 



In my monograph on the Merostomata (Pal. Soc. 1872, p. 173) 

 I placed Salter's " Eurypterus ferox" with the Mtriapoda,^ and in 

 the genus Euphoberia, as suggested by Messrs. Meek and Worthen. 

 In this conclusion Scudder agreed in 1882, but he eliminated the 

 specimen referred to in "Brodie's Fossil Insects " as a "Caterpillar," 

 although Salter and I had both considered it as identical with 

 Euphoberia ferox, and he has placed it in the genus Acantherpestes, 

 making for it a new species, A. Brodiei. There are, however, no 

 grounds for either the generic or specific separation of this fossil 

 from M ferox, save the obscurity of the specimen and the indistinct- 

 ness in character of the original figure, from which all the subsequent 

 ones have been merely copies. 



From the excellent materials now collected together, in which 

 are included the Johnson and Beale Collections, also Brodie's and 

 Salter's original specimens, lent to me for examination by the 

 kindness of Prof. J. 0. Westwood, M.A., from the Oxford Museum, 

 and Dr. A. Geikie, F.R S., from the Museum of Practical Geology, 

 Jermyn Street, I hope to be able to give some additional details which 

 may assist towards a complete knowledge of this remarkable spined 

 Myriapod from the English Coal-measures. 



In four of the specimens the head is seen, and in two of these 

 the details can be clearly made out, but the remaining ones are 

 somewhat obscure and imperfect. 



1 Scudder, however, in his Memoir {loc. cit.), 1882, p. 157, cites me as still con- 

 sidering it to be a Eurypterus, whereas I most clearly state : " I am fully disposed 

 to agree with Meek and Worthen, and to refer it to the Myriapodn, and to their genus 

 Euphoberia, ietlmg certain that it has no relation whatever to Eurypterus^' (Pal. 

 Soc. Mon. p. 173 ; Geol. Mag. Vol. X. p. 112). 



