﻿1864.] 
  KIRKBY 
  PERMIAN 
  FISH 
  AND 
  PLANTS. 
  357 
  

  

  Ulmannia, 
  sp. 
  ? 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  also 
  examples 
  of 
  another 
  Plant, 
  belonging 
  apparently 
  to 
  

   the 
  same 
  genus 
  as 
  the 
  preceding, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  sufficiently 
  

   perfect 
  to 
  allow 
  me 
  to 
  describe 
  from 
  them. 
  

  

  Calamites 
  arenacetjs 
  ?, 
  Brongn. 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  vegetable 
  remains 
  are 
  two 
  specimens 
  of 
  a 
  Calamite, 
  

   which, 
  on 
  Mr. 
  Howse's 
  suggestion, 
  I 
  doubtfully 
  refer 
  to 
  this 
  species. 
  

   The 
  specimen 
  in 
  my 
  possession 
  is 
  4| 
  inches 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  nearly 
  an 
  

   inch 
  in 
  width. 
  It 
  shows 
  two 
  joints, 
  1| 
  inch 
  distant 
  from 
  each 
  other 
  ; 
  

   and 
  the 
  impressed 
  surface 
  is 
  rather 
  finely 
  striated 
  longitudinally. 
  

  

  Besides 
  the 
  preceding 
  species, 
  a 
  single 
  specimen 
  has 
  occurred 
  of 
  

   a 
  large 
  reed-like 
  Plant 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  identify. 
  It 
  

   is 
  21 
  inches 
  long 
  and 
  1 
  inch 
  broad, 
  rather 
  coarsely 
  striate 
  longi- 
  

   tudinally, 
  and 
  without 
  any 
  indications 
  of 
  constrictions 
  or 
  joints. 
  

   The 
  specimen 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Arthur 
  Dixon. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  to 
  acknowledge 
  the 
  assistance 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Howse 
  in 
  determining 
  

   the 
  Plants. 
  

  

  So 
  far 
  as 
  may 
  be 
  judged 
  from 
  the 
  fossils 
  I 
  have 
  described, 
  the 
  

   physical 
  conditions 
  that 
  prevailed 
  during 
  the 
  deposition 
  of 
  the 
  

   Fulwell 
  Fish-bed 
  were 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  that 
  obtained 
  during 
  the 
  

   accumulation 
  of 
  the 
  Marl-slate 
  towards 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  the 
  

   Permian 
  era. 
  The 
  characteristic 
  fossils 
  of 
  the 
  Marl-slate 
  are 
  Pishes 
  

   belonging 
  to 
  the 
  genera 
  Palceoniscus, 
  Acrolepis, 
  Pygopterus, 
  Platy- 
  

   somus, 
  and 
  Ccelawnthus, 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  genus 
  being 
  by 
  far 
  

   the 
  most 
  common. 
  With 
  the 
  Pish 
  occur 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  Plants, 
  

   chiefly 
  belonging 
  to 
  Ulmannia 
  selaginoides 
  ; 
  and, 
  rarely, 
  examples 
  of 
  

   Lingula, 
  Distinct, 
  and 
  Myalina. 
  The 
  facies 
  of 
  this 
  small 
  fauna 
  seems 
  

   to 
  me 
  to 
  be 
  decidedly 
  estuarine, 
  though 
  with 
  a 
  greater 
  tendency 
  to 
  

   approach 
  freshwater 
  than 
  marine 
  conditions 
  ; 
  for 
  while 
  the 
  vege- 
  

   table 
  remains, 
  which 
  indicate 
  terrestrial 
  and 
  freshwater 
  conditions, 
  

   are 
  distributed 
  generally 
  throughout 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  Marl-slate, 
  

   the 
  Mollusca, 
  which 
  seem 
  as 
  certainly 
  to 
  indicate 
  marine 
  conditions, 
  

   are 
  confined 
  to 
  a 
  very 
  limited 
  area 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  deposit. 
  In 
  the 
  

   Fulwell 
  Pish-bed 
  we 
  have 
  Pish 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  genera, 
  and 
  

   Plants 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  species, 
  as 
  those 
  that 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  

   Marl-slate, 
  besides 
  other 
  Plants 
  whose 
  occurrence 
  there 
  is 
  not 
  re- 
  

   corded. 
  In 
  this 
  bed 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  Mollusca, 
  nor 
  is 
  there, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  

   before 
  observed, 
  a 
  single 
  trace 
  of 
  any 
  marine 
  organism. 
  It 
  would, 
  

   therefore, 
  seem 
  as 
  if 
  the 
  physical 
  conditions 
  of 
  the 
  Fulwell 
  Bed 
  had 
  

   been 
  even 
  less 
  marine 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Marl-slate 
  ; 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  

   unlikely 
  that 
  in 
  its 
  small 
  group 
  of 
  species 
  we 
  see 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  fresh- 
  

   water 
  fauna 
  of 
  the 
  Permian 
  period. 
  

  

  Another 
  inference 
  appears 
  warrantable 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  the 
  Fish 
  ; 
  

   that 
  is, 
  that 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  so 
  predaceous-looking 
  a 
  Fish 
  as 
  Acro- 
  

   lepis 
  among 
  small 
  and 
  comparatively 
  harmless 
  Palcvonisci 
  evidently 
  

   indicates 
  that 
  the 
  latter 
  were 
  pursued 
  and 
  preyed 
  upon 
  by 
  it. 
  The 
  

   association 
  merely 
  of 
  these 
  Fish 
  suffices 
  to 
  justify 
  this 
  inference 
  ; 
  but 
  

  

  