S91 



That the enumeration of Animal Exuviae, which will be 

 submitted to you, is meagre, I cannot deny ; but from what 

 has just been stated, I presume every one will be prepared 

 to expect this : — that is, as compared with the earlier and 

 subsequent formations. This is more especially the case, 

 however, with the Invertebrate tribes. No Zoophytes, no 

 Crustacea, (with a solitary exception), no Echinodermata, 

 and only a few Molluscous Animals and Conchifera. This 

 paucity, however, is easily accounted for, if we consider 

 Coal as a fresh-water deposit in the first instance, in which 

 we must all be well aware the number of Molluscous Animals 

 and Crustaceans, whether in rivers, lakes, or ponds, is very 

 small, when compared with the countless myriads and variety 

 of forms which people the ocean ; and add to which, the 

 total exclusion of Zoophytes, Echinoderms, Acalephse, and 

 Tunicata, &c. Reasoning, then, upon such premises, only 

 a very limited proportion of the former inhabitants of such 

 localities can be expected to occur in the Coal strata. For 

 instance, of the Brachiopodous Conchifera, six hundred fossil 

 species are known in the older rocks. In the Coal strata, we 

 have only one or two at most. How is this to be accounted 

 for ? They are all marine. 



As we find the quality of Coal varies in different parts of 

 the kingdom, so also do we find varieties in the fossil remains, 

 which is a point of great interest. I am not aware that 

 examples of the fossil Flora have ever been found associated 

 with the exuviai of Vertebrate animals ; with Invertebrate, 

 they are occasionally. 



These facts, if duly investigated, may probably throw 

 some important light upon the different circumstances under 

 which the various Coal seams were deposited. Were any 

 Vegetable relics ever found in the cannel or stone Coal ? 

 I believe not. While, on the other hand, the remains 

 of our largest fishes are there the most abundant. The 



