41 8 THE CARBONIFEROUS PERIOD 



Carboniferous limestones are found in Morocco, the Sahara, 

 and in southern Africa. 



The Carboniferous limestones and coal measures are extensively 

 developed in the colonies of New South Wales and Tasmania. In 

 South America the Carboniferous is not nearly so extensive as the 

 Devonian ; the Lower Carboniferous is principally composed of 

 sandstones, while the upper series, containing the Fusulina lime- 

 stone, has been found in Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. 



Carboniferous Life 



The life of this period is thoroughly Palaeozoic and continues 

 along the lines already marked out in the Devonian, but there 

 are some notable changes and advances which look toward the 

 Mesozoic order of things. 



Plants. — The Carboniferous vegetation is of very much the 

 same character as that of the Devonian, but owing to the peculiar 

 physical geography of the times, the plants were preserved as fos- 

 sils in a much more complete state and in vastly larger numbers. 

 The flora is composed entirely of the higher Cryptogams and the 

 Gymnosperms, no plant with conspicuous flowers having come 

 into existence, so far as we yet know. By far the most abundant 

 of Carboniferous plants are the Ferns, which flourished in multi- 

 tudes of species and individuals, both as tall trees and as lowly, 

 herbaceous plants. Many of these ferns cannot yet be compared 

 with modern ones, because the organs necessary for trustworthy 

 classification have not been recovered, and such are named in 

 accordance with the venation of the leaves. In other cases the 

 comparison with existing ferns may be definitely made, and these 

 remains show that many of the modern families (Marattiacece, 

 Ophioglossacece, etc.) had representatives in the Carboniferous 

 forests and swamps. 



Even more conspicuous, though much less varied, were the 

 Lycopods, the remarkable character of which has been elucidated 

 by the long-continued and laborious efforts of many investigators. 

 While the ferns have remained an important group of plants to 



