460 



THE GEOLOGIST. 



Curious Fossil Plant peom Coal-Measures, South Wales. — Dear 

 SrR, — I liave lately added to my collection of coal-plants a very singular fossil, 

 for a description of whicli I have searched the works of Sternberg, Lindley, 

 and Hutton in vain. I have therefore delineated it, in the hopes that some of 

 your readers learned in the flora of the Coal-Measures will name it for me. If 

 any body has discovered a similar specimen I shall be glad to know, that we 

 may compare notes. The stem, as will he seen in the drawing, appears to be- 

 long to the Lycopodiacese, and these big leaves (if they be leaves) evidently 

 belong to the stem, and are not lying by its side by chance, because on the in- 

 side they all merge into it, there being no marked line of junction; and, 

 besides, they follow the peculiar bend of the branch, both decreasing in size as 

 they approach the terminal point, which in fact is formed by a leaf. Yet there 

 appears to be no connecting branch to the leaves, unless we except the one 

 which appears to be torn ofl" near the beginning; but as the specimen is some- 

 what confused at this point, we cannot instance this particular leaf as an ex- 

 ample of how the others are joined to the stem. In fact, at the attached 

 margin they appear to be sessile as regards the branch, having the opposite 

 margin free or unattached. As regards each other, they are apparently closely 

 imbricated, each leaf somewhat reniform in shape, and marked distinctly with 

 a number of short parallel veins coming directly from the upper margin, but 

 with a slight tendency to meet at the base. Whether they are continued in 

 this manner behind each leaf, I cannot say ; but, judging from the two or three 

 first detached leaves, which appear to have a well marked lower as weU as 

 upper margin, I should imagine not. The great puzzle to me is the likeness of 

 the stem to the Lycopodiacese ; but, if it is so, either the little leaves which 

 cmbi-ace the stem and fall off, leaving badly defined scars, are not leaves, or 

 else these other portions are not leaves. And, if they are not leaves, can it 

 be a species of inflorescence ; because, according to Lindley, the Lycopodiaceae 

 arc floweriess. 



I shall be very grateful if you or any body else would solve the difficulty 

 foi- me. And while on the subject, I wish some one of our fossil-botanists 

 would begin a new edition of Lindley and Hutton, the last being thirty years 

 old. Since those plates, as well as those of Sternberg, were published, there 

 liave been maiiy new species found, which sadly want naming, figiuing, and 

 dcsci ibiiig. I liave in my own. cabinet several which, for want of better in- 

 foi-inal ioi), F have been obliged to name provisionally. — I am, dear Sir, yours 

 faithCiillv, (1. P. V>v.\:v^. Beaufort, Mon. 



Tkui'imo Tlan i's of Austria. — Prof, linger has prepared the materials 

 for the drscripl ion of some Tertiary plants, to be published under the title of 

 " v^_vll(!i;(- lM;m!;irui>i Possilium," as a contiimation of his " Iconographia Plant- 

 arum K().st>iliuni, ]uihlisluMi some years ago in the Transactions of the A'ienna 

 Aca<hMuv, and wilh special vcrcronce to the species enumerated in his Genera 

 ft Species Plauiarum 1' ossiliuiii." Besides other collections, the immense stores 

 of the Luperial ( uuloi^ii'al lustilule -of Vienna have furnished valuable 

 maleriais. The lirst u\u\\W-v of ihe " Sylloge" is illustrated with twenty 

 colour-printed plates, and J.^ m^ ^ pb.nlso't' llie families C//(/rn('('(f, Salri,nac(>a-', 

 E<liiis(i(fcv,c, ^li(sacc(C, (\;,//..\., Su.,!(il(icc(C, Mj/ssaeccr, Frofcacra-', OJcacccc, 

 Fra.rhiCfC, Sapofaccce, Anipelidea?, Anmuaad', ' ^liujiwruicccc, JilalpinJiiacefp, 

 SfrpiiKhccfr, Jnglandctc, AnacardiCfC, 7\\\AB!'.,'seriace(c\ most of them with their 

 fnielilication, and generally \\\[\\ iiarlieiilar refennce to the ncuratiou of their 

 leaves, compared with those of auah^gous recent forms. 



PTKUAsns and Cocosteus.— \Vc havi' laielv found the Pteraspis near New- 

 iwrl. nud I liavc also secured two or tlu ee lln'^ fossils from the Old Bed. At 

 lirst I tliouglit they belonged to Pteraspis; bul I now suspect that they are 

 t he dorsal plates of Coccosteus rather pressed t oget her. They are rather larger. 



