CONIFERiE IN THE SECONDARY SERIES. 489 
Fragments of trunks of Coniferous wood, and 
occasionally leaves and cones occur through all 
stages of the Oolite formation, from the Lias to 
Ihe Portland stone. On the upper surface of 
die Portland stone, we find the remains of an 
oiicient forest, in which are preserved large pros- 
tate silicified trunks, and silicified stumps of 
Foniferte, having their roots still fixed in the 
black vegetable mould in which they grew. 
^^I'agments of coniferous wood are also frequent 
throughout the Wealden and Green-sand forma- 
tions, and occur occasionally in Chalk.* 
It appears that the Coniferse are common to 
t’ossiliferous strata of all periods ; they are least 
|thundant in the Transition series, more numerous 
the Secondary, and most frequent in the Ter- 
dary series. Hence we learn that there has been 
time since the commencement of terrestrial 
t^®getation on the surface of our Globe, in which 
l^rge Coniferous trees did not exist ; but our pre- 
sent evidence is insufficient, to ascertain with ac- 
'^uracy the proportions they bore to the relative 
^ffimbers of other families of plants, in each of 
die successive geological epochs, which are thus 
eonnected with our own, by a new and beautiful 
Series of links, derived from one of the most im- 
Pertant tribes of the vegetable kingdom. 
fe in the Oxford Museum a fragment of silicified coni- 
in*^*^^* '''ood, perforated by Teredines, found by Rev. Dr. Faussett, 
^ chalk flint at Lower Hardres, near Canterbury. 
