§ 31. AMBER. 243 



of vegetable tissue, are imbedded in some of the masses. 

 Upwards of 800 species of insects have been observed ; 

 most of them belong to species and even genera that appear 

 to be distinct from any now known ; but others are nearly 

 related to indigenous species, and some are identical with 

 existing forms, that inhabit more southern climes. 



The forests of Amber-pines were in the south-eastern 

 part of what is now the bed of the Baltic, in about 

 55° north latitude, and 37° — 38° east longitude. The dif- 

 ferent colours of amber are derived from local chemical 

 admixture. The amber contains fragments of vegetable 

 matter, and from these it has been ascertained that the 

 amber-pine forests contained four other species of pine, and 

 several Cypresses, Yews, and Junipers, with Oaks, Poplars, 

 Beeches, &c, ; altogether forty-eight species of trees and 

 shrubs ; constituting a flora of a North American charac- 

 ter. There are also some ferns, mosses, fungi, and liver- 

 worts.* 



31. Zoophytes. — Polyparia, or corals, and other zoo- 

 phytes, abound in some of the marine strata, but the species 

 are not very numerous in the British series. Several 

 kinds of turbinolia, caryophyllia, fungia, and other corals, 

 are figured and described by authors. I have a few speci- 

 mens from Grignon, presented to me by the late Baron 

 Cuvier. The modern tertiary (those of Palermo for ex- 

 ample) abound in various kinds of flustra and sponges. 

 The coralline strata of the Crag are almost wholly made 

 up of a few forms of Tubuliporidce (p. 224). 



An elegant small Astrea has recently been found at 

 Bracklesham in Sussex, by Mr. Bowerbank. Some of the 

 tertiary strata of North America abound in corals, f 



* Professor Goppert : Geol. Proc. 1845. 



t Geol. Journal, No. 4, p. 495 ; Report on the Corals from the Eocene 

 and Miocene of North America, by Mr. Lonsdale. 



r 2 



