1855.] HISLOP — UMRET COAL. 557 



when they do occur ; though their ahsence may not be conchisive as 

 to dissimilarity. Under the sandstone, there are about 8 feet of 

 green shales, becoming more micaceous and laminated below, and 

 succeeded for about 3 feet by bituminous shale, which disappears 

 under the surface of the ground. Unlike Barkoi, there is no seam 

 of coal to be seen, but the tendency to it in the bituminous shale is 

 manifest enough ; and, indeed, this latter bed, as I shall endeavour 

 to show, when I come to speak of the organic remains, is palaeonto- 

 logically a part of our Indian carboniferous strata. 



Here then at Barkoi and the Mahadewas, as well as near Nagpur, 

 we have the same thick-bedded iron-banded sandstone overlying in 

 the last-mentioned locality more fissile strata of a somewhat similar 

 material ; but at the former two places, superposed on argillaceous 

 and carbonaceous or bituminous shales. Are then the loiuer beds 

 also of the same age in all three localities ? Of the contemporaneity 

 of the inferior strata at Barkoi and the Mahadewas there cannot be 

 two opinions ; but as those in our immediate neighbourhood diifer 

 in colour, and to a considerable extent in composition, some hesi- 

 tation may be felt in including them m the identification. It may 

 be supposed that there is a deficiency in the one district, which is 

 supplied in the other. 



Now it may help to remove doubt to mention that, even in this 

 vicinity (Nagpur), where the lower strata are generally of a whitish hue, 

 they present in their higher portion a certain quantity of clay, which 

 becomes less and less as we descend, until at last, as in the under- 

 lying beds at Barkoi, we arrive at pure sand. And to complete the 

 analogy in regard to composition, it may be added, that in a particular 

 spot at Bokhara, six miles N. of Nagpur, the higher laminse now 

 referred to exhibit not only the argillaceous mixture, but an approxi- 

 mation to the carbonaceous colour, being quite brown through the 

 amount of comminuted vegetable matter which they contain. 



But for direct proof of identity in age, an appeal must be made to 

 the fossil contents of the strata under comparison. At Barkoi we 

 found the following genera : Glossopteris and Cyclopteris, with Phyl- 

 lotheca, Vertehraria, and other stems, and a variety of fruits or seeds. 

 At the Mahadewas, during the very hurried visit which we made 

 to that locality, we discovered Glossopteris, Phyllotheca, Fertebi'aria, 

 and fruits or seeds ; besides which, I believe, our friend Mr. Sankey 

 had previously brought to light specimens of Pecopteris, Spheno- 

 pteris, and Trizygia. 



In regard to the Barkoi plants, I think there is scarcely one that 

 cannot be specifically matched with some one from the laminated 

 argillaceous sandstone in the vicinity of Nagpur. Of the genus 

 Glossoptej'is, the bituminous shale furnished several species ; but 

 among them there is not one that strikes me as not having been 

 observed before in our arenaceous strata. The Cyclopteris of Barkoi 

 exactly agrees with that of Bharatwa^a, both being oblong-cuneate, 

 and characterized by the same venation. The most abundant 

 Phyllotheca at Barkoi, is one with 10 sulci, which is also the one 

 most frequently discovered near Nagpur. Of Vertebraria, there does 



2 p 2 



