562 PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [Juiie 13, 



II. On some Minute Seed-vessels (Carpolithes ovulum 



Brongniart), from the Eocene beds of Lewisham. 



By J. D. Hooker, M.D., F.R.S., F.G.S. &c. 



[Plate XVI.] 



Of this remarkable and beautiful little fossil three or four specimens 

 have been detected in the Eocene clays of Lewisham, by the late 

 Rev. H. de la Condamine, and one of them in so perfect a state that 

 I have had little difficulty in making out the details of its structure. 

 They occurred associated with freshwater shells in the ''Flanorbis 

 bed" at Counter Hill, and are alluded to in Mr. Prestwich's valuable 

 memoir on the "Woolwich and Reading Series" of the London 

 Tertiaries, Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. vol. x. pp.119 and 156 (see 

 also PI. 3. fig. 4). 



A few other vegetable remains were found associated in the same 

 bed with this Carpolithes^ but none that throw any light upon its 

 affinities. Amongst these are two kinds of Dicotyledonous leaves, 

 together with the pinnae of a Fern not differing in venation from 

 the existing genus Asplenium'^y and the remains of Monocotyle- 

 donous leaves. To the same formation, however, Mr. Prestwich 

 has referred some fragments of coniferous and other Dicotyledonous 

 woods, and a Fir-cone, referable apparently to the existing genus 

 Abies f. Dr. Mantell also, in his 'Geology of Sussex,' has figured 

 some vegetable remains alluded to by Mr. Prestwich as apparently 

 agreeing with some of the Reading species, of which latter a 

 beautiful series of forms, chiefly of leaves of Dicotyledonous trees, 

 are given at PL 4 accompanying the Memoir before mentioned;];. 

 The whole assemblage appears to indicate that the climate of the 

 period during which they flourished did not materially differ from 

 that of England at present; of which Mr. Prestwich's conclusions, 

 drawn from the contemporaneous animal remains, had already 

 afforded abundant evidence : the same may be said of the plants with 

 which this species has been found associated in France, as described 

 in M. Brongniart' s paper hereafter to be alluded to. 



I have been particular in detailing the above facts, because, though 

 so perfect in condition, I am quite unable either to refer Carpolithes 

 ovulum to any known family of plants, or to determine its affinities 

 approximately ; and, though I have laid the specimen and my ana- 

 lysis before those of my friends who are most distinguished for a 

 profound knowledge of structural and systematic Botany, they have 

 not been able to suggest any recent Natural Order under which it 

 should be classed. This is the more remarkable, from the fact that 

 there are no characters in the Dicotyledonous leaves mentioned above 

 that preclude their being referred to living genera, and the same may 

 be said of the Fir-cone and the Fern leaflet, whilst the Mollusca and 

 Eutomostraca have been referred by Mr. de la Condamine, Mr. 



* Quart Journ. Geol. Soc. vol. x. p. 156. pi. 3. fig. 6. 

 t Ilrid.x^. 156. pi. 3. fig. 3. 

 i See also ibid, p 163. 



