2 Canadian Record of Science. 



• 

 late Sir W. E. Logan, 1 and afterwards the middle portion 

 of it was examined in greater detail by the author, more 

 especially in connection with the fossil remains character- 

 istic of the several beds, and the vegetable constituents and 

 accompaniments of the numerous seams of coal. 2 It was on 

 occasion of a visit of the author, in company with Sir Chas. 

 Lyell, and in the pursuit of these investigations, that one 

 of the most remarkable features of the section was dis- 

 closed in 1851. This is the occurrence, in the trunks of 

 certain trees imbedded in an erect position in the sand- 

 stones of Coal-mine Point, of remains of small reptiles, 

 which, with one exception, a specimen from the Pictou 

 coal-field, were the first ever discovered in the Carboniferous 

 rocks of the American continent, and are still the most 

 perfect examples known of a most interesting family of 

 coal-formation animals, intermediate in some respects be- 

 tween reptiles proper and batrachians, and known as Micro- 

 sauria. With these were found the first known Carbonif- 

 erous land-snails and millipedes. Very complete collections 

 of these remains have been placed by the auther with his 

 other specimens in the Peter Eedpath Museum of McGill 

 University. The manner in which these remains were 

 entombed may be stated as follows : 



A forest or grove of the large ribbed trees known as 

 Sigillarke was either submerged by subsidence, or, growing 

 on low ground, was invaded with the muddy waters of an 

 inundation, or successive inundations, so that the trunks 

 were buried to the depth of several feet. The projecting 

 tops having been removed by subaerial decay, the buried 

 stumps became hollow, while their hard outer bark re- 

 mained intact. They thus became hollow cylinders in a 

 vertical position and open at top. The surface having then 

 become dry land, covered with vegetation, was haunted by- 

 small quadrupeds and other land animals, which from time 

 to time fell into the open holes, in some cases nine feet deep, 



1 " Report Geol. Survey of Canada," 1844- 



2 "Journal London Geological Society," vol. x., pp.1 etseq.,1853; "Acadian 

 Geology," pp. If6 et seq. 



