1868.] SENATE— No. 218. 13 



formations, which, as far at least as regards their vegetable 

 remains, are as yet very imperfectly known. 



4th. Of the Trias, Keuper and New Red Sandstone, there are 

 in Bronn's collection fifty species, represented by one hundred 

 specimens. These, from various parts of Europe, are generally 

 good ; their stations are carefully marked on the labels, but 

 they are not yet satisfactorily identified. 



5th. The vegetation of the Carboniferous epoch is already 

 pretty well represented in the Museum. From Bronn's collec- 

 tion there are one hundred and fifty-two specimens, some of 

 them very interesting, and gathered from different parts of 

 Europe. From the Coal measures of England we have about 

 the same number. 



But it is from our own continent that the largest number of 

 species and specimens have been procured. There are from 

 Ohio one hundred and fifty specimens ; from Pennsylvania, 

 fifty ; from mixed localities in Pennsylvania and Ohio, thirty ; 

 from the anthracite basin of Massachusetts, fifteen ; from Mary- 

 land, nine ; and from Illinois, twenty-two. As these specimens 

 are generally fine and valuable, though they do not represent 

 any very rare species, it is to be regretted that their number is 

 not larger, especially as they are from regions of our coal 

 basins, which have been rarely explored, and from which palae- 

 ontologists have as yet received few materials. This last 

 observation does not, however, apply to the coal fields of Illi- 

 nois, especially not to that famous locality, Mazon Creek, from 

 which the Illinois specimens of the Museum were obtained. It 

 is, on the contrary, one of the most thoroughly investigated? 

 and generally known for the beauty of the specimens which it 

 has furnished to Palaeontology. The remains are small, indeed, 

 and generally occupy the centre of a pebble of carbonate of 

 iron ; but in this formation plants and animals appear to have 

 escaped the effects of maceration, which has generally destroyed 

 the soft parts of the plants ; and even all the soft species whose 

 remains were imbedded in the bituminous shales of the coal. 

 And therefore, in these pebbles, not only have the vegetable 

 remains with their tissue been fully preserved, with their out- 

 line and nervation well defined, but many species have been 

 found there which have never been seen anywhere else in the 

 coal basins of America. A proof that we know as yet only a 



