1855.] HOOKER — FOLLICULITES MINUTULUS. 56/ 



in the clay, and were probably secreted by the coniferous trees whose 

 wood appears to form the mass of the coal. 



The existence of a Pine-cone, so closely resembling that of a tree 

 still existing in Great Britahi that it cannot be specifically distin- 

 guished from it, would seem to refer the Bovey Tracey Coal-field to 

 the Post-pliocene epoch without any doubt, and is an extremely in- 

 teresting discovery. This cone is wholly carbonized, and the woody 

 interior of its scales and axis is highly bituminized. The seeds, how- 

 ever, may be easily separated from the cone, and their membranous 

 wings are, though carbonized, quite perfect. From a microscopical 

 analysis of the wood-cells of the cone, I see no reason to doubt that 

 it belonged to the species that yielded the coniferous wood with 

 which it is associated ; and I find no character in this wood either 

 that prevents its being referred to the Scotch Fir. It must, however, 

 be borne in mind that this identification is provisional only ; for, 

 after a study of a very complete collection of cones of existing Pines 

 in the Museum of Kew, I have found that it is quite impossible to 

 distinguish by the cones alone several species from very distant 

 countries, which are nevertheless amply characterized by their leaves 

 and other organs. So also the cone of the Scotch Fir is not the only 

 one to which that found in the Bovey Tracey lignite might be referred ; 

 though I do not think that it agrees better with any other species 

 than with this. 



Genus Folliculites, Bronn. 



Sporanffium oblongum vel lineari-oblongum, compressum, utrinque 

 obtusum, leviter curvum, infra apicem paulo constrictum, longitu- 

 dinaliter leviter sulcatum, uno latere a basi ad apicem longitudinaliter 

 dehiscens, cavum ; cavitas ovato-oblonga, supra basin paulo constricta, 

 saccum continens. Saccus membranaceus, hyalinus, loculo conformis, 

 fundo constricto loculi adnatus, apice attenuatus, rima brevi oblonga 

 lateraliter versus apicem dehiscens. Spoi^ce 1 minimse, irregulares, 

 subglobosse vel oblongse. 



Sporangium crassum, crustaceum, \ unc. longum, e stratis plurimis 

 cellularum minutarum dense compactarum conflatum. Superficies 

 exterior sub lente punctato-areolata ; interior strato cellularum majo- 

 rum vestita, cellulse oblongse vel lineares, alise transverse clathratee- 

 vel scalariformes, punctatse, cribratse vel varie porosse, parietibus con- 

 tiguis rectis vel undulatis. Saccus internus transparens, e membrana 

 simplici formatus, cellulis compressis transverse oblongis quadratisve 

 areolatus, cellulis versus apicem minoribus et magis distinctis, lineis in- 

 tercellularibus sub lente maxime augente subtilissime moniliformibus. 



Folliculites minutulus, Bronn, Lethsea Geognost. p. 849, 

 pi. 35. fig. 1 1. 



Hab. In terra carbonacea pleiocena ?, ad *' Bovey Tracey," Comi- 

 tate " Devon." 



The specimens of this fossil agree well with the somewhat rude 

 figure of Bronn' s quoted above, whicfh is taken from a specimen' 

 found in the Brown coal ; but it may be doubted whether they are 



