﻿108 Dr. Feistmantel — Bohemian Coal Fauna and Passage-Beds. 



and "Procopi," of that region, the upper seam is reached at a depth 

 of 40 metres, and is again underhxin by the G-as-coal, of about 32 to 

 37 cm. thickness — no doubt this seam is the same as that of Niir- 

 schan. Beyond the places mentioned, the Niirschan Gas-coal does 

 not occur ; at least, not so developed : this is the case generally also 

 with the upper seam. 



I have discussed these relations in various papers, either wholly 

 or partly.^ For the extension of this Gas-coal of Niirschan, see espe- 

 cially my paper in the Jahrbuch d. k. k. Geol. Reichsanst. 1872, 

 p. 289 et seq., where a little sketch-map illustrates the relations. 



The most interesting part is, that this Gas-coal, as I have sliown, 

 everywhere immediately underlies the upper Coal-seam, which is 

 at an average distance from the lower Coal-seam of about 20 to 30 

 metres. 



While the lower seam, the shales, and the Clay-Ironstone nodules 

 in them, contain remains only of a truly Carboniferous Flora, as 

 Calamifes, Equisetites, true Carboniferous Ferns, Lycopodiacece, 

 SigillaricB ; the Niirschan Gas-coal contains a mixed Fauna and 

 Flora, which are the chief points of observation. 



Animal-remains in the Gas-coal. 



Tliese animal-remains consist esjDCcially of Saurians, Fishes, and 

 Crustaceous animals. 



Dr. Anton Fritsch has already given some preliminary notes ^ on 

 these interesting animals, and I myself repeated them and gave some 

 figures, especially of Diplodns, in my short paper in the Zeitschrift 

 d. D. Geol. Gesellsch. 1870, pi. xviii. 



Tn the meantime Dr. Fritsch has submitted this subject to a 

 thorough examination, and comm'unicated his results in another 

 short paper,'' and lately before the meeting of the British Association 

 at Glasgow.* 



His examinations yielded, besides several new forms, also the 

 well-known Xenacanthus, of which one is certainly X. Decheni, Beyr., 

 one of the best Permian species ; Acantliodes, one of which is very 

 close to A. gracilis, Jiom. ; Pal(Boniscus, Uronectes (Gampsonyx), a 

 Julus, which is very close to living forms, etc. 



From the fact that the Niirschan Gas-coal contains these animal- 

 remains, of which there is no trace in the lower seam, this upper 

 Coal-seam is quite well marked and separated from that portion, 

 though the Flora which occurs in the Gas-coal and in the shale 



1 Ueber Pflanzenreste aus dem Niirschaner Gasschiefer, etc , Sitzgb. d. k. bohm. 

 Gesell. d. "Wissniisch. 1870. — Beitrag zur Kenntniss des Niirsclianer Gasscbiefers, 

 etc., Jabrb. d. k. k. Geol. Reicbsanst Wien, 1872. — Verbaltniss der Perm, zur 

 Steinkohlenform. in Bohmeu, etc.. Ibid. 1873. — Ueber den Niirschaner Gasschiefer, 

 etc., Zeitsehr. d. D. Geol. Gesellsch. Berlin, 1873. With Plate. — Studien in 

 bohm. Koblengebirge, Abh. d. E,. bohm. Gesellsch. d. "Wissensch. 1874- — Versteine- 

 rungen der bohm. Kohlenablagerungen, 1874-6. 



2 See Geol. Mag. 1876, Dec. II. Vol. III. p. 34. Sitzungsb. d. k. bohm. 

 Gesellsch. et Wissensch. Prag, 1870, etc. 



^ Ibidem, 1875. 



* See Nature, September, 1876, p. 457. See also list of papers read before 

 Brit. Assoc. Glasgow, in Geol. Mag. for 1876, p. 471. 



