44 L. F. Ward — Famous Fossil Cycad. 



stones. He describes the surface of the specimen as covered 

 with holes somewhat systematically arranged, sometimes in 

 groups having the shape and size of a walnut, except that in some 

 cases there rises in the middle on the longer side a rounded 

 boss [this must refer to the reproductive organs]. The areolae 

 are described as oval and penetrating two to three inches into 

 the stone, diminishing in size with the depth. But in some, 

 he says, there is a nucleus [leaf base] of the same material 

 as the rock, except that it possesses small longitudinal pores. 

 Besides the larger cavities there are other much smaller ones 

 of the size of a pea arranged in elliptical concentric groups, 

 some of which are compressed [bract scars]. In some places 

 are to be seen special growths, so to speak, having the form of 

 buds which have not yet opened and only slightly project. 

 Some of these smaller cavities have porous nuclei resembling 

 grains of barley, but most of them are empty. In one spot on 

 this rare petrifaction, he adds, a piece of the rock has fallen 

 out leaving a funnel-shaped depression two to three inches 

 deep, the sharp end being directed toward the axis. 



Eilenburg, as we have seen, adopted the view that the petri- 

 faction represented a hippurite or coral, but at that day these 

 objects were referred to the vegetable kingdom. 



On page 150 of Walch's work it is stated that the specimen 

 was found in 1751, but on the next page it is said in Borlach's 

 notes that it was found "erst in diesem Jahre." As all accounts 

 agree that it was sent to Dresden by Borlach in 1753, this 

 would also seem to be the date of its discovery. It is, however, 

 possible that Borlach wrote these notes two years earlier. 



Dr. Deichmiiller finds a note appended to the entry above 

 quoted in Eilenburg's manuscript catalogue, which reads as 

 follows : " We take pleasure in referring in this connection to 

 the able work of P. Gabr. Pzaczynsky : Historia naturalis 

 curiosa regni Poloniw, 1721, printed at Sandomir, where on 

 pages 5-117, is to be found a more complete account of the 

 petrified wood (Lithoxylis) discovered in Poland." From this 

 entry Dr. Deichmuller thinks it not impossible that this speci- 

 men may be treated in Pzaczynsky's work as early as 1721. 

 This does not seem probable from the above account, but it 

 is greatly to be hoped that this work may be found and 

 examined from this point of view. 



The specimen lay in the Dresden Museum for nearly a cen- 

 tury without receiving further attention. In 1844 Goppert 

 seems to have already named and described it, for in his 

 contribution to the second edition of Wimmer's Flora von 

 Schlesien, vol. II, p. 217, where he describes the genus Pau- 

 meria and names R. Schidziana (found near Gleiwitz in Sile- 

 sia), he adds a note in which he says that "the celebrated 



