210 Mr. Wood's Account of some Fossil Stems of Trees. 



fossil, with respect to the inclosing strata. It will be seen from these 

 that it consists of an upright stem, not quite vertical, with roots pro- 

 ceeding from the bottom of it, and penetrating the lower part of the 

 bed, No. 2. The specimen will shew that the interior is filled with 

 white Sandstone ; or that, in point of fact, it consists of a cylinder of 

 white Sandstone in the form of a stem of a tree, and that, the only re- 

 mains of its vegetable nature, is a coat of carbonaceous or coaly matter 

 surrounding the sandstone. In the removal of such weighty specimens, 

 it is feared a considerable part of this has been effaced, yet it is trusted 

 sufficient remains to shew the nature of the vegetable. On an exami- 

 nation of the Sandstone of the fossil, and the specimens of the strata in 

 which it was imbedded, it will be seen that it is the same kind of Sand- 

 stone as that surrounding it near the top, or Nos. 9, 11, and 12, and 

 the roots though penetrating for a considerable distance into the stra- 

 tum, No. 2, of a quite different kind of stone, are filled with the same 

 Sandstone. The stem, at first sight, has the appearance of being fluted, 

 with joints at variable distances from each other, but these appear to 

 have been almost, if not entirely, owing to the effect of the compression 

 of the enveloping strata. The lower part or base of the tree was 

 about 2 feet in diameter, flattening out considerably at the bottom ; 

 this part was so much broken that it could not be procured, but the 

 bed of it with the roots proceeding from it was most clearly seen in 

 situ. The roots could be traced for about 4 feet from the stem, pene- 

 trating the Shale, but the compact nature of the Shale prevented us 

 from obtaining specimens, when the thickness of the roots diminished ; 

 but they were seen running into the Shale composed of the same kind 

 of sandstone, though a little more indurated, until they were half an 

 inch thick ; a drawing of one of these roots. Figure No. 2, with a spe- 

 cimen, showing a ramification, accompanies this. The roots were not 

 numerous, but run into the Shale quite parallel with the inclination of 

 the beds, and spread out from all the different sides of the fossil. 



The dip of the strata here is west, about 12i° and the position of the 

 stem is nearly perpendicular to the inclination of the beds, passing 

 through all those above No. 1 in the section. The size at the junction 



