﻿416 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OP 
  THE 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SOCIETY. 
  [June 
  22, 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  worthy 
  of 
  remark 
  that 
  while 
  the 
  genus 
  Pterygotus, 
  which 
  is 
  so 
  

   abundant 
  in 
  the 
  Forfarshire 
  rocks, 
  is 
  represented 
  by 
  the 
  single 
  spe- 
  

   cies 
  P. 
  Anglicus, 
  almost 
  every 
  recognizable 
  fragment 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  

   found 
  of 
  the 
  genera 
  StyJonurus 
  and 
  Eurypterus 
  evidently 
  belongs 
  to 
  

   distinct 
  species. 
  

  

  Parka, 
  Fleming. 
  

  

  Amongst 
  the 
  Crustacean 
  remains 
  I 
  would 
  class 
  that 
  very 
  curious 
  

   organism, 
  Parka 
  deeipiens. 
  Some 
  high 
  authorities 
  undoubtedly 
  

   consider 
  it 
  of 
  vegetable 
  origin 
  ; 
  but, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  my 
  observation 
  goes 
  

   (and 
  I 
  have 
  had 
  opportunities 
  of 
  examining 
  hundreds 
  of 
  specimens), 
  

   the 
  amount 
  of 
  evidence 
  in 
  favour 
  of 
  its 
  being 
  the 
  fossilized 
  spawn 
  of 
  

   Crustacea 
  is, 
  in 
  my 
  opinion, 
  very 
  strong 
  indeed. 
  In 
  many 
  specimens 
  

   the 
  individual 
  ova, 
  in 
  a 
  highly 
  carbonized 
  state, 
  can 
  be 
  easily 
  de- 
  

   tached. 
  These 
  I 
  have 
  frequently 
  examined 
  under 
  moderately 
  high 
  

   powers, 
  but 
  have 
  always 
  failed 
  in 
  detecting 
  structure. 
  As, 
  however, 
  

   they 
  are 
  always 
  found 
  wherever 
  remains 
  of 
  Crustacea 
  are 
  preserved, 
  

   and 
  only 
  where 
  these 
  occur, 
  it 
  seems 
  extremely 
  probable 
  that 
  their 
  

   origin 
  is 
  the 
  same. 
  Vegetable 
  remains 
  are, 
  as 
  above 
  stated, 
  more 
  

   abundant 
  than 
  any 
  others 
  in 
  the 
  flagstones 
  and 
  shales. 
  They 
  are, 
  

   however, 
  mostly 
  confined 
  to 
  certain 
  beds, 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  quite 
  

   covered 
  by 
  them. 
  In 
  these 
  beds 
  Parka 
  is 
  in 
  plenty, 
  also 
  fragments 
  

   of 
  Pterygotus 
  not 
  uncommon. 
  In 
  the 
  more 
  solid-bedded 
  sandstones 
  

   and 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  flagstones 
  and 
  shales, 
  vegetable 
  remains 
  are 
  seldom, 
  

   and 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  scarcely 
  ever, 
  to 
  be 
  met 
  with 
  ; 
  from 
  these 
  the 
  best 
  spe- 
  

   cimens 
  of 
  Crustacea 
  have 
  been 
  obtained, 
  and 
  in 
  these 
  Pa 
  rJca 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  

   means 
  uncommon. 
  In 
  the 
  Fish-bed, 
  vegetable 
  markings 
  are 
  remark- 
  

   ably 
  few 
  ; 
  Crustacean 
  remains 
  rather 
  rare, 
  though 
  occasionally 
  fine 
  

   specimens 
  turn 
  up 
  ; 
  and 
  ParJca, 
  if 
  not 
  abundant, 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  rare. 
  

   In 
  short, 
  ParJca 
  deeipiens 
  and 
  Crustacean 
  remains 
  are 
  more 
  widely 
  

   and 
  equably 
  distributed 
  through 
  these 
  formations 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  

   organism, 
  excepting 
  perhaps 
  CepJialaspis 
  Lyelli. 
  

  

  Again, 
  had 
  the 
  ParJca 
  been 
  of 
  vegetable 
  origin, 
  the 
  parent 
  Plant 
  

   must 
  have 
  been 
  rather 
  highly 
  organized 
  ; 
  and 
  surely, 
  had 
  this 
  been 
  

   the 
  case 
  in 
  a 
  formation 
  so 
  well 
  suited 
  for 
  preserving 
  marks 
  

   of 
  structure, 
  and 
  where 
  the 
  most 
  minute 
  markings 
  on 
  the 
  small 
  

   Acanthodian 
  Fishes 
  are 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  the 
  finest 
  preservation 
  (even 
  

   the 
  membranous 
  fins 
  with 
  rows 
  of 
  very 
  small 
  scales 
  being 
  occa- 
  

   sionally 
  beautifully 
  shown), 
  vestiges 
  of 
  a 
  Plant 
  showing 
  structure 
  

   would 
  ere 
  now 
  have 
  turned 
  up. 
  My 
  workings 
  have 
  now 
  been 
  very 
  

   extensive, 
  and 
  other 
  labourers 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  field 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  idle, 
  

   yet 
  our 
  united 
  efforts 
  have 
  never 
  been 
  rewarded 
  by 
  the 
  merest 
  frag- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  Plant. 
  A 
  specimen 
  of 
  Parka 
  figured 
  with 
  a 
  stalk 
  in 
  

   the 
  last 
  edition 
  of 
  Hugh 
  Miller's 
  ' 
  Old 
  Red 
  Sandstone,' 
  and 
  much 
  more 
  

   correctly 
  drawn 
  in 
  the 
  valuable 
  Monograph 
  of 
  Crustacea 
  by 
  Messrs. 
  

   Huxley 
  and 
  Salter, 
  has 
  been 
  adduced 
  as 
  a 
  proof 
  of 
  its 
  vegetable 
  

   origin. 
  This 
  specimen 
  is 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  collection 
  at 
  Kossie 
  Priory, 
  

   which, 
  through 
  the 
  kind 
  liberality 
  of 
  the 
  noble 
  owners, 
  Lord 
  and 
  

   Lady 
  Kinnaird, 
  is 
  open 
  to 
  all 
  interested 
  in 
  such 
  pursuits. 
  I 
  have 
  

   had 
  many 
  opportunities 
  of 
  examining 
  it, 
  and 
  to 
  me 
  the 
  stalk 
  seems 
  

  

  