46 PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [June 16, 
istence of remains of Megaceros with those of Man, or in any shape 
proving it to have come down to the traditional or historical period, 
has been adduced. 
I have personally and carefully examined the skulls of the Mega- 
ceros affirmed by the correspondents of the ‘ Dublin Evening Post’ 
and the ‘ Farmers’ Journal’ to have been slaughtered for human 
food, at Lough Gar near Limerick ; and have explaimed the nature 
of the mutilations of the fossil skull, which have been interpreted as 
proof that the animals ‘‘ had been knocked on the head when alive.” 
The breaking-away of the antlers from the skull during or after ex- 
humation both led to that fallacy and to the mistake of the skulls of 
the male for those of the female Megaceros*. 
The unequivocal and well-established facts made known since the 
publication of my ‘ British Fossil Mammalia,’ have served to confirm 
the fact of the former existence in England of the gigantic extinct 
broad-antlered deer, ‘ Megaceros hibernicus’; and this evidence, 
though it be still less abundant than that of the former existence of 
the same species in Ireland, is equally conclusive and of greater value, 
inasmuch as it establishes the contemporaneity of the Megaceros with 
the Mammoth, Rhinoceros, and other extmct Mammalia of the 
period of the formation of the newest tertiary freshwater fossiliferous 
strata. 
4. Description of an upright LEPIDODENDRON with STIGMARIA 
Roots, tn the roof of the SypNEY Main Coat, in the Istanp 
oF Care Breton. By Ricuarp Brown, Esq. 
[Communicated by Charles J. F. Bunbury, Esq., F.G.S.] 
Many eminent geologists have long entertained the opinion, that 
Stigmarie are nothing more than the roots of Sigillariz, and this 
opinion has been supported by so many recorded cases during the last 
two or three years, amongst which I may include one from the Sydney 
coal-measures, an account of which appeared in the 8th Number of 
the Journal of the Geological Society, that I think no further doubts 
can remain concerning the real nature of those fossils. 
Since I forwarded to the Society a description of the Sydney Si- 
gillaria about twelve months ago, I have discovered several upright 
trees in the coal-measures, evidently not Sigillarize, with roots of 
Stigmarie united to them. These trees exhibited so many of the 
peculiar characteristics of Lepidodendron, that I at once concluded 
they belonged to that genus ; but having never even seen it hinted 
that Lepidodendron possessed Stigmaria roots, and distrusting my 
own skill in fossil botany, I determined to wait until I could collect 
more decisive evidence in confirmation of my opinion. This evidence 
I have now obtained in another example, fortunately most complete 
in all its parts, a description of which I hasten to lay before the 
Society, accompanied with ‘sketches, which I hope will clearly prove 
* See my Letter to the Editor of the ‘Dublin Evening Post,’ Dec. 19th, 1846. 
