The Fossil Plants. 
159 
all, were there forests ? No doubt about it. Every 
bed of coal represents a succession of ancient forests 
that grew for ages — how many ages we will say when 
treating of coal itself. For the present it will suffice 
to refer to the seams of coal, and to the extensive 
deposits of carbonaceous shales around Sydney, as 
evidences of the existence of these ancient forests. 
Fro. 39 . — Labyrinfhodont restored. 1 Remains of Labyrinthodonts 
have been found as fossils at Biloola and St. Peters, Sydney. 
There remains, however, something to be said as to 
their character. To begin with, they did not resemble, 
from a botanical standpoint, any living forests. Great 
marsh plants, immense ferns — some of them tree-ferns — 
palms, and horsetails, and lycopods, were the most 
characteristic forms of plant life. We can well picture 
to ourselves a dense undergrowth of the stately plant, 
1 Since this was drawn, more perfect fossils have been discovered which would 
modify the figure by the addition of caudal vertebne. 
