AJSD GEAYELS OF AEDTUN', ETC., IN MULL. 



289 



for we can hardly suppose that "bodies of water so considerable as 

 those which deposited these, or the Reading or Bournemouth beds, 

 were destitute of fish and molluscous and insect life. Of the latter, 

 in its terrestrial form, we have, as usual, scanty traces. The most 

 interesting is a detached wing in which the neuration and colouring 

 are beautifully preserved, and which appears to be in all probability 

 the hind wing of a Cercopid of an extinct type (PI. XIII. fig. 9). 

 Pig. 8 shows part of the wing-case of a beetle which has adhered 

 to the matrix so that only the inner side is visible. One or two 

 smaller elytra have been found in the black shale. 



Only one species of Fern is known, Onoclea (Filiates) hebridica, 

 Forbes, of which specimens have now been discovered, showing that 

 the barren fronds were larger and on a stout rachis, and also exhibit- 

 ing the fertile fronds which had not previously been met with *'. The 

 only other vascular Cryptogam in the flora is Equisetum Campbellii, 

 Forbes, but both this and the Onoclea are undistinguishable from 

 living species. There are also but few indications of cellular fungi 

 on the leaves, and I am inclined to look upon this as one among 

 many indications of relative antiquity. 



Among Gymnosperms the Ginkgo is by far the most, abundant, 

 and its leaves form a considerable proportion of those seen in the 

 clays. Podocarpus Campbelli, J. S. Gardn., comes next, and is inter- 

 esting as being so far the most northerly representative of the genus, 

 either living or fossil. A third is Taxus Gampbelli, Forbes, a Tew 

 strongly resembling Taxus adpressa of Japan f. Fig. 1, PI. XIIL, 

 represents foliage more nearly approaching specimens from Atane- 

 kerdluk, in Greenland, determined as Sequoia Langsdorfii by Heer; 

 and fig. 2 would appear to belong to his Glyptostrobus euvopceus. 

 Fig. 3 shows a small fruiting branch, which indicates the presence 

 of a second species of Podocarpus, with short falcate leaves arranged 

 spirally, and small berries, scarcely exceeding the eighth of an inch 

 in diameter, borne in small terminal clusters. The foliage is not 

 uncommon in the black shales ; and in the absence of any evidence 

 regarding the fruit, I had provisionally placed it with the Bally- 

 palady Cryptomeria, which it very strongly resembles. The occur- 

 rence of this beautifully preserved twig in the white limestone, still 

 retaining its shining black berries, is one of those fortunate cir- 

 cumstances which encourage the collector of fossil plants to per- 

 severe, even when the collection of leaf-forms from a bed seems to 

 be well-nigh complete. I can find nothing nearer among the living 

 Podocarps than P. cupressina, R. Brown, from the Philippines and 

 Java. 



There are no Monocotyledons beyond a liliaceous -looking leaf and 

 a few reed-like stems. 



The Dicotyledons are abundant, and the collections include more 

 than thirty distinct species, most of them so adequately represented 

 that the range of variation in the leaf is practically ascertained. 

 Foremost among- them is the splendid form Platanites hebridicus, 



* Journ. Linn. Soc, Bot. vol. xxi. pi. xxvi. 



t " Eocene Flora," J. S. Gardner, Monogr. Pal. Soc. vol. ii. 1884 and 1885. 



