10 PERMIAN FOSSILS. 
SIGILLARIA (?) 
SreILLaria, King. Catalogue, p. 5, 1848. 
Specimens of the genus under consideration occasionally occur in the Lower New 
Red Sandstone Quarry between South Shields and Westoe, but they are so very 
imperfect as to render it impossible to say whether or not they belong to any species 
identical with those found in the immediately subordinate Coal-measure beds.’ 
facts, as they appear to have been entirely overlooked by almost every one who has written of late on the 
subject. It may be added, that the writer does not think any evidence has yet come to light proving 
positively that Stigmaria is the root of Sigillaria: all that can be safely said is, that there are very strong 
evidences in its favour: this is the view which he advocated in the “Contributions,” although a more 
decided one was taken in his previously published notices. 
' From the occurrence of true Coniferous Gymnosperms in the Carboniferous rocks of England, one is 
induced to believe in the existence of this section of plants in the same geographical area during the 
Permian epoch. Some years ago, the Rev. Dr. Buckland read a paper at a meeting of the Geological 
Society, ‘‘On the Occurrence of Silicified Trunks of Large Trees in the New Red Sandstone Formation, or 
Poikilitic Series, at Allesly, near Coventry” (vide Proceedings of the London Geological Society, vol. ii, 
pp. 439-40), sections of which displayed the true discigerous vessels of Coniferous wood. Is the Allesly 
Sandstone Permian or Triassic ? 
The ‘small fragments of carbonized wood,” and ‘carbonaceous matter apparently derived from 
vegetable fossils,” noticed by Professor Sedgwick as occurring in “the Marl and Blue Shelly Limestone- 
beds of Palterton and Bolsover” (vide Trans. Geol. Soc. Lond., 2d series, vol. ii, pp. 81, 120), require to 
be alluded to in the present place. Perhaps the “many,” “long,” ‘‘ compressed cylindrical stems, about 
one inch and a half in diameter, but without any external markings to indicate their origin,” seen by the 
same gentleman (Op. cit., 2d series, vol. iii, pp. 107, 120), traversing the low beds in Welsea Quarry, 
between Nosterfield and Well, are the remains of Fucoids,—probably Cawlerpa selaginoides. 
