66 CONTRIBUTIONS TO CANADIAN PALjEONTOLOGY. 



beds I have at various times extracted twenty-six trees, besides studying 

 the remains of others which have fallen naturally. 



These singular receptacles naturally contain only remains of land 

 animals, along with debris of wood and bark, and occasional fragments 

 of leaves, fruits, and other vegetable substances. In the memoir above 

 referred to, I have described twelve species of amphibians, of the groups 

 Microsauria and Labyrinthodontia, and three species of land snails, 

 besides the arthropod remains. Of the amphibians specimens repre- 

 senting fifty-three individuals have been found, and a great number of 

 land snails, especially of the species Pupa vetusta, as well as numerous, 

 remains mostly fragmental of millipedes. Fragments of scorpions and of 

 insects are comparatively rare. Details respecting the reptilian remains, 

 will be found in my memoir in the transactions of the Royal Society of 

 London, partii., 1882, and respecting the land snails in the American 

 Journal of Science, for November, 1880, while some later discoveries of 

 amphibian remains are noticed in papers in the Geological Magazine^ 

 April, 1891, and June, 1891. 



Much credit is due to Mr. Scudder for the care and skill with which he 

 has worked up the fragmentary remains from the contents of the erect 

 sigillarise of the Joggins coal measures. With reference to the condition 

 of the specimens it is to be observed that these remains are found in the 

 matter filling the bases of hollow trees originally open to the air, into 

 which small amphibians have fallen and have possibly lived in these sin- 

 gular prisons for some time. Hence no doubt in part the fragmentary 

 condition of the myriapodal and arachnidkn remains. Indeed segments 

 of millipedes and remains of insects have been found in the coprolitic 

 matter associated with the reptilian bones, so that it is quite likely that 

 the arthropods have been pulled to pieces and partially devoured by their 

 amphibian companions in misfortune. In addition to this the loose and 

 unequal character of the material filling the lower part of the hollow trees 

 has caused much crushing and distortion of the flexible crusts of these 

 creatures, and has rendered it difficult to obtain from the mass even such 

 fragments as those I was able to submit to Mr. Scudder's inspection. On 

 the other hand it is a rare chance to find even such fragments preserved 

 at all, and but for the accident of the mode of decay and entombment of 

 "these trees, we might have known nothing of these curious and ancient 

 air-breathers of the coal-formation of Nova Scotia. 



The identification of remains of scorpions is further of interest from the 

 light which it casts on one at least of the uses of the scaly armour of the 

 smaller amphibians of the coal measures. They may, as Mr. Scudder has 

 already suggested, have required protection from the active and venomous 

 arachnidans with which they had to compete, or on which they may in 

 some cases have fed. 



