A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



The most common plants of the Middle Measures are :— 



Sphenopteris furcata Sigillaria ovata 



trifoliolatu » remfirmn 



Footneri „ ^'"*'" 



Mariopteris murkata Lepidodendron ophiurus 



Pecopterh Miltom „ acuUatum 



AUthopterh decurrins Bathrodendron mtnutifohum 



„ Serlii Cordaites 



Nmropteris gigantea Lepldostrobus variabilis 



ohliqua Trigonocarpus Pariinsoni 



" heterophylla „ Dawsii 



Calamocladus equisltiformis „ Nceggeratht 



Calamites (Stylocalamites) Suckowii Carpolithus inflatus 

 Sigillaria t esse I lata 

 Some of the Middle Measure sandstones occasionally yield fine specimens of Halonia and the 

 large leaves of Cordaites, 



LOWER COAL MEASURE FAUNA 



The fauna of the Lower Measures is quite as sharply marked ofF from that of the Middle Series 

 as are the plant fossils, and for this reason must be dealt with separately. The lowest forms of life 

 represented are worms, of which two species are known. The one {Arenicola carbonaria) is only 

 known by worm burrows, and tracks, whilst the other {Spirorbis pusillus) has left a minute coiled 

 shell. Brachiopoda are represented by Lingula cf. mytiloides. 



The ordinary mollusca or bivalves are most common, especially Carbonicola {olim Anthracosia), 

 the chief species being : — 



Carbonicola robusta Carbonicola subconstricta 



„ acuta „ aquilina 



„ rugosa 



Other common forms which link these coal measures with the Millstone Grit are Pterinopecten 

 {olim Aviculopecten) papyraceus and Posidoniella lavis and P. minor. Gasteropoda are feebly represented 

 by a few undescribed species. 



Cephalopoda are chiefly found in the upper part of the measures in the roof and shales asso- 

 ciated with the Mountain Four Feet or Bullion Mine ; the common forms are : — 



Gastrioceras (olim Goniatites) Listeri 



„ ,, carhonarium 



Dimorphoceras Gilbertsoni 

 Glyphioceras [olim Goniatites) reticulatum 



„ „ diadema 



,, „ paucilobum 



Sc\'eral species of Orthoceras occur, but few are well defined, Orthoceras obtusum being the most 

 marked. 



Crustacea are represented by several species of ostracods and by a few rare forms of malacos- 

 traca, of which Pygocephalus Cooperi, Anthrapalamon Etheridgei, and Prestwichia rotundata are the 

 chief. Fishes were fairly abundant in numbers and species, the remains, chiefly teeth and scales, but 

 at times whole fishes, being found in the black shales. The commonest forms are Caelacanthus 

 elegans, Rhixodopsis sauroides, and Strepsodus sauroides. A small amphibian, Hylonomus IVildi, has been 

 recorded from the ' soapstone ' bed over the Mountain Four Feet Mine of Colne and Trawden. For 

 a full list of the fauna the reader is referred to papers by the author.^ 



MIDDLE AND UPPER COAL MEASURE FAUNA 



Recent researches on the part of the writer have shown that the fauna consists of 75 genera, 

 which include 137 species, and further work by other observers has shown that the numbers will be 

 increased. 



Whilst as in the Lower Coal Measures the mollusca remained the dominant forms mainly 

 owing to the great increase in the three genera, Carbonicola [olim Anthracosia), Naiadites {olim Anthra- 

 coptera), and Anthracomya, the fishes show an even more pronounced development. Cephalopoda 

 and brachiopoda only occur at one horizon, viz. the ' marine band ' at Ashton-under-Lyne and 

 Dukinfield. 



1 ' The Palaeontology of the Lancashire Coal Measures,' Trans. Manch. Geol. and Mining Soc. xxviii. 



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