260 Scientific Intelligence. 



7. Wntersuchwigeu ilber fossile Holzer Schwedens ; von H. 

 Conwentz. Kongl. svenska Vetenskaps-Akademiens. Bandet 

 24, No. 13. — The vegetable remains described in this important 

 memoir all come from the southern extremity of Sweden, some- 

 times called Scania, in which so many horizons are exposed that 

 yield fossil plants, especially the Rhetic and the Pleistocene. 

 Nilsson, as long ago as 1831, proved that there was a Tertiary 

 plant bed at Kopinge, and now we have evidence of an Upper 

 Cretaceous (Senonian) deposit, called the Holma sandstone, 

 which contains coniferous remains consisting of silicified trunks 

 in place and also lesser twigs and even well-preserved pine 

 cones. Most of these belong to two species, both of which are 

 regarded as new to science, which Dr. Conwentz here fully 

 describes and illustrates in his thorough manner, both in their 

 external characters and their internal structure, and names 

 respectively, Pinus Nathorsti and Gedroxylon Ryedalense. The 

 Holma Sandstone occurs on both sides of the Ryssberge north of 

 the 56th parallel of north latitude. 



Besides these remains in place the present memoir also 

 describes a large amount of drift wood (Geschiebeholzer) from 

 the extreme southern peninsula, much of which had long lain in' 

 the museums at Stockholm and elsewhere awaiting identification. 

 Most of these proved to be coniferous, but wholly unlike the 

 Holma Sandstone flora, having the Sequoia type of structure 

 which is referred to Cupressinoxylon, or if roots, to Rhizocupres- 

 sinoxylon. One piece, however, turned out to be a palm stem 

 and was intrusted to Dr. Stenzel who is so great an authority on 

 such forms. He describes it as Palmacites filigranum, a new 

 species of fossil palm. 



As regards the original source of those blocks of silicified 

 wood, their systematic character is sufficient proof that they can- 

 not be in place in the comparatively modern drift (Diluvian) in 

 which they chiefly occur. They differ too widely from the 

 forms found in the Holma Sandstone to make it at all probable 

 that they belong to that age. The author concludes that they 

 were originally derived from a formerly wide-spread Tertiary 

 formation, the softer parts of which have been long since eroded 

 away leaving only these heavy undestructible blocks of silicified 

 wood which now lie buried under the superficial deposits. 



l. f. w. 



8. On Penjieldite, a new species ; by F. A. Genth. (Com- 

 municated by the author.) — While examining a lot of minerals, 

 formed by the action of sea water on ancient slags which Mr. 

 Geo. L. English collected at Laurion, Greece, I noticed a very few 

 hexagonal crystals which proved to be a new species, for which I 

 propose the name : Penfieldite, in honor to Prof. Sam'l L. Penfield 

 the indefatigable worker in mineralogy and crystallography. 



Hexagonal ; generally in prisms with basal plane ; the first 

 pyramid is indicated by striation of the prismatic planes ; a second 

 obtuse pyramid appears on some of the crystals in small triangu- 



