10 



FICOIDITES VERRUCOSUS. 



WARTY FICOIDITE. 



Generic Character. 

 Stem with cicatrices ; cicatrices distant, depressed, having a tubercle in the 

 centre surrounded by a hollow; tubercles bearing leaves or spines. 



Specific Character. 



FICOIDITES verrucosus. Tubercles of two sizes, surrounded by a hollow : 

 leaves or spines jointed, forked. 



Synonyms. 



Phytolithus verrucosus. Martin, Petref. Derb. pi. 11, 12, and 13. Americ. Phil. 

 Trans, new series, vol. 1, p. 268, pi. 4, fig. 1, 2, and 3. 



Description and Locality. 



Stem (1) simple, semicylindrical, terminating abruptly, about five or six feet long, 

 and four inches in diameter, tuberculated and grooved on the compressed side, in- 

 closing a spike (or young plant?) the direction of which is shewn by the several 

 sections, (fig. 6, 7, 8, 9,) taken in different parts of the stem, as marked on the out- 

 line, fig. 2, at A, B, C, D, respectively. This spike when it approaches near the 

 upper extremity of the stem appears externally, and is received in a groove which 

 extends some little way beyond the point of the spike. 



Tubercles (3) of two sizes, both ascending spirally around the stem, and seated in 

 hollow cups, the larger fewer in number, with a flat ragged top as if broken short, the 

 smaller situated in the spiral lines, much more numerous and one-third smaller, 

 hemispherical, rather acuminated at top, terminated by a gland, to which there is 

 often attached a leaf or spine (5). 



Leaves or spines cylindrical, about eighteen inches long, forked, (4) jointed, ter- 

 minating in a sharp point. 



Found in the clay-bind incumbent on the sandstone, within a few feet of the 

 surface. 



Traces of this fossil plant are also found on the upper side of the nine feet coal 

 in the El-se-car mine ; which is 250 feet below the surface: but these specimens are 

 compressed ; and consequently the internal spike cannot be seen. Some of these are 

 converted into coal, which contains a considerable portion of sulphureous matter. 



Observations. 



The semi-compressed form of the stem, with a longitudinal groove is not alone 

 peculiar to this species, as it is also found in fossil plants, distinguished by very 

 opposite characters. 



The internal spike would appear to be a young plant, which perforating its 

 parent, at length bursts it, and assumes its place : the surface of the spike which 

 appears externally, is characterised exactly the same as the parent stem. 



