1862.] HAEKNESS PERMIAN STRATA. 215 



in their composition, and the faces of the strata exhibit features 

 which are not seen on the lower series, consisting- of beautiful rip- 

 plings, desiccation-cracks, rain-pittings, and pseudomorphs of salt — 

 features accompanying the upper sandstones throughout the area 

 where they present themselves. 



j'ig. 4. — Section across the Cumberland Plain to Dumfriesshire. 

 Distance 15 miles. 



Cove, 



Solway Firth. 



Aikton 



Chalk. 



5. Lias. 



4. Upper sandstone. 



3. Ked clay. 



2. Breccia. 



1. Carboniferous rocks. 



§ 9. 07'ganic Remains. 



Eeference has been made to the occurrence of fossils in the fellow 

 beds at Hilton Beck. The strata affording these form the lowest 

 portion of the argillaceous series, and have, as before stated, a great 

 affinity to the marl-slates of Midderidge. The remains consist prin- 

 cipally of Plants, specimens of which were, through the kindness of 

 Sir Charles Lyell, submitted to Professor Heer, who determined their 

 general Coniferous character. The remains consist usually of leaves 

 and wood, and in one instance of a cone. This, Sir Charles Lyell 

 suggests, is of some importance, especially if the strata be Palaeozoic, 

 since the absence of cones in Coal-strata induces botanists to regard 

 the Conifer oe of the Carboniferous epoch as having a taxoicl character, 

 " and, like a great majority of the Coniferce of the southern hemisphere, 

 as berry-bearing, and not cone-bearing." 



Through the kindness of Mr. Wood of Richmond, I had an oppor- 

 tunity of examining the marl-slate of Midderidge, and was furnished 

 by him with fossil plants from this locality, which are remarkably 

 like the fossils from the Hilton beds. Besides the remaius of coni- 

 ferous leaves, this locality affords ferns referable to Neuropteris and 

 Spheyiopteris. Of the latter, one form seems nearly akin to S. erosa 

 (Morris), a species from the Russian Permians *. Eemains are 

 found which appear allied to Weissites (Goppert), resembling that 

 figured by Geinitz (' Die Versteinerungen des Zechsteingebirge und 

 Rothliegenden oder des permischen Systemes in Sachsen,' tab. viii. 

 fig. 8). A form having the aspect of Caulerpites selaginoides 

 (Sternb.) occurs here ; and, with this, leaves identical with those of 

 the Saxon Zechstein, as figured by Geinitz (tab. viii. figs. 11, 12, 13), 

 are found. Detached leaves, resembling Cujoressites Ullmanni, Brongn., 



See ' Russia and the Ural Mountains,' plate C. fig. 3. 



