104 Observations Concerning Fossil Organic Remains, 



tier of palmaceae, and to an anomolous division, constituting 

 an intermediate order between the palms and the coniferes. 

 Among the vegetable fossils of this formation, we find the 

 very curious Pht/tolithus palmaWs, of Sheinhauer, belong- 

 ing to the Lepidodendra. To which succeed the Sf/rengoden- 

 dra, and a plant, different from all the rest, described by M. 

 Steinhauer, the Phytolitlms transversns. But among all 

 these vegetable remains, which occur in the coal formation, 

 there are none which present themselves in such abundance, 

 as those which are allied to the Conferve. Another charac- 

 teristic trait of this formation, in relation to the organic re- 

 mains it contains, is, that we find in it, a small quantity of 

 animal remains, belonging to the Testaceous tribe. We 

 find in it, no remains of animals belonging to a higher order, 

 but in ascending to the strata of bituminous slate, abovf* the 

 coal formation, we begin to meet with those of quadrupeds, 

 and reptiles of the lizard family. 



We find, also, nearly in the middle of the Derbyshire 

 Coal formation, in the ninth stratum (counting in an ascen- 

 ding order,) a stratum of a ferriferous rock (iron-stone,) 

 which is filled with different species of mytile, which is dis- 

 tinguished by the name of bande a moider. The shells are 

 univalves and bivalves. 



The existence of such a stratum, with such organic re- 

 mains, gives rise to the following question, which I think is 

 is sufficiently important, to be introduced in this place. Do 

 these testaceous remains, among which are Ammonites^ Or- 

 thocercp, and Terabratulte, Mytilns crassiis, and three spe- 

 cies of Unio, belong to marine, or fluviatile shells? 



Undoubtedly, the ^mmowi^es, the OrthocertB, and Terabra- 

 tidcB, belong to the marine class ; but we are accustomed to 

 regard the Unio as fluviatile, and the Mytilus crassus, as 

 fluviatile, also, and belonging to the genus Anadonta. Along 

 with Conybeare and Phillips, I doubt myself, if we are not 

 in an error upon this point. I am aware, that conchol- 

 ogists admit the genus Unio, as separating the fluviatile 

 from the marine shells : but we ought not to neglect, at 

 the same time, the circumstance that the form of the 

 hinge — admitted as a distinctive character, is common to 

 different species found in tiio fossil state, and in situations, 

 which render it certain that they belong to the marine 

 class: thus we find in many of the oolites, in the lias, shells, 

 called in consequence of their hinge, Unio ; occuring ac- 



