226 Geological Society, 



The broken petioles show a single crescentic vascular bundle. The 

 section of the true stem shows a white parenchymatous medulla, a 

 narrow vascular cylinder interrupted by long slender meshes from 

 which the vascular bundles of the petioles spring, and a parenchy- 

 matous cortical layer. The author described the arrangement of 

 these parts in detail, and indicated their agreement with the same 

 parts in Osmunda regalis. He did not venture to refer the Pern, to 

 which this stem had belonged, positively to the genus Osmunda, 

 but preferred describing it as an Os?nu?idites, under the name of 

 0. Dowkeri. The specimen was silicified ; and the author stated that 

 even the starch-grains contained in its cells, and the mycelium of a 

 parasitic Fungus traversing some of them, were perfectly represented. 

 Its precise origin was unknown ; it was said to be probably derived 

 from the London Clay, or from the beds immediately below. 



2. " On the Oolites of Northamptonshire." By Samuel Sharp, 

 Esq., F.G.S. 



The author stated that his ultimate purpose was to describe seve- 

 rally the Oolitic beds occurring in the Northampton district, in the 

 more northerly parts of the county, and in the neighbourhood of 

 Stamford, to exhibit fossils gathered from each locality, and to 

 correlate the several series and thus to endeavour to establish the 

 character and sequence of the Oolites of this Midland district. He 

 anticipated, however, that the publication by the Geological Survey 

 of their maps and memoir of North Northamptonshire (the work of 

 Mr. Judd) would intervene and might render superfluous the carry- 

 ing out this work in its entirety ; but in the meantime he submitted 

 his first part, " The Oolites of Northampton and Neighbourhood." 



The author stated that there were four areas within a compara- 

 tively small space in which the whole of the beds occurring in each, 

 from the Great Oolite down to the Upper Lias (inclusive), were 

 accessible. These were situated at or about : — 1, Kingsthorpe ; 

 2, Northampton; 3, Duston ; 4, Blisworth. The Oolitic beds in 

 these several areas were described in detail, the beds of the North- 

 ampton Sand (as comparatively little known) being those to which 

 the greatest interest attached. These he proposes to class in three 

 divisions — the " Upper," the " Middle," and the " Lower " North- 

 ampton Sand. 



The individual beds of the several localities were shown to vary 

 considerably ; but collectively they would present the following ge- 

 neral section, the maximum thicknesses being given in feet : — 



feet. 

 'A. White Limestone, disposed in beds of from a few inches 

 to about 3 feet in thickness, much fissured, and vary- 

 ing in character, and containing characteristic Great- 

 Oolite fossils . . . 25 



B. Blue and grey clay, dug for brick-making, with a fer- 

 ruginous band at base, and Great-Oolite fossils 15 



[Line of unconformity.] 



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$8 



