Transcriber's Note
Text emphasis denoted by _Italics_ and =Bold=. Whole and fractional
parts as 123-4/5.
[Illustration]
JOSEPH DINKEL. DEL. ET LITH.
PRINTED BY M. & N. HANHAR
THE PERFECT SERIES OF THE BONES OF THE RIGHT FOOT OF THE =MOA=, OR
EXTINCT COLOSSAL OSTRICH-LIKE BIRD OF =NEW ZEALAND= FOUND IMBEDDED IN
AN ERECT POSITION, WITH THE CORRESPONDING FOOT A YARD IN ADVANCE, IN
A TURRARY DEPOSIT, AT =WAIKOUAITI= IN THE MIDDLE ISLAND, BY =WALTER
MANTELL ESQ^{RE}= OF =WELLINGTON=.
FIGURES 1^a 2^a 3^a THE PLANTAR OR UNDER SURFACE OF THE FIRST, SECOND
& THIRD TOES. THE FIGURES ARE 1/3 NATURAL SIZE LINEAR. THE ORIGINAL
BIRD WAS ABOUT 10 FEET HIGH.
A
PICTORIAL ATLAS
OF
FOSSIL REMAINS,
CONSISTING OF COLOURED
ILLUSTRATIONS
SELECTED FROM
PARKINSON'S "ORGANIC REMAINS OF A FORMER WORLD;"
AND
ARTIS'S "ANTEDILUVIAN PHYTOLOGY."
WITH DESCRIPTIONS
BY GIDEON ALGERNON MANTELL, ESQ. LL.D. F.K.S.
VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY,
FELLOW OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS OF ENGLAND, ETC.
AUTHOR OF "THE WONDERS OF GEOLOGY," ETC. ETC.
[Illustration]
"All things in nature are engaged in writing their own history. The
planet and the pebble are attended by their shadows--the rolling
rock leaves its farrows on the mountain side--the river its channel
in the soil--the animal its bones in the stratum--the fern and the
leaf inscribe their modest epitaphs on the coal--the falling drop
sculptures its story on the sand, or on the stone--not a footstep
on the snow or on the ground but traces in characters more or less
enduring the record of its progress."--_Emerson._
With Seventy-four plates,
CONTAINING NEARLY NINE HUNDRED FIGURES.
LONDON:
H. G. BOHN, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN.
1850.
LONDON:
R. CLAY, PRINTER, BREAD STREET HILL.
TO
THE VERY REVEREND
WILLIAM BUCKLAND, D.D. F.R.S.
Dean of Westminster,
&c. &c. &c.
THIS WORK IS INSCRIBED
AS AN EXPRESSION OF THE HIGH RESPECT AND AFFECTIONATE REGARD
OF ONE WHO HAS FOR MORE THAN THIRTY YEARS
ENJOYED THE HONOUR AND PRIVILEGE OF HIS CORRESPONDENCE
AND FRIENDSHIP.
Chester Square, Pimlico,
_January 1850._
PREFACE.
In the hope of promoting the diffusion of a taste for the cultivation
of a peculiarly interesting and attractive branch of Natural History,
I have been induced, in compliance with the suggestion of the eminent
publisher of this volume, to arrange in a connected series the Plates
of the late Mr. Parkinson's "Organic Remains of a Former World," and
of Mr. Artis's "Antediluvian Phytology," with descriptions of the
specimens represented.
As I have been enabled, with the valuable assistance of my friend,
John Morris, Esq. F.G.S., the author of "A Catalogue of British
Fossils," to append, in almost every instance, the generic and
specific names adopted by the most recent authorities, the volume
will, I trust, not only prove interesting to the general reader, as
a beautiful _Pictorial Atlas_ of some of the most remarkable relics
of the animals and plants of a "Former World," but also constitute
a valuable book of reference in the library of the Geologist and
Palæontologist, since it contains the names and localities of no
inconsiderable number of species and genera.
For the guidance of the unscientific reader who may desire further
information on any of the subjects treated of in the following pages,
references are given to a few general works on Geology and Fossil
Remains.
Chester Square, Pimlico,
_August 1850._
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PAGE
Preface v
Description of the Frontispiece x
Introduction 13
Descriptions of the Plates.
FOSSIL REMAINS OF THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM.
(_Plates I. to XXXIII. inclusive._)
Plate
I.--Various specimens of Fossil Wood, and fragments of Plants 19
II.--Chiefly examples of silicified Wood 21
III.--Stigmaria, Calamites, and Wood 23
IV.--Fronds of various Fossil Ferns 25
V.--Different species of Ferns and other Plants 27
VI.--Principally Fossil Fruits from the London clay of the
Isle of Sheppey 29
VII.--Specimens of the Fruit of a species of _Nipas_, or
Molucca Palm; from the Isle of Sheppey 31
VIII.--Figures of different portions of beautiful silicified
Stems of Plants allied to the Arborescent Ferns;
from Chemnitz 33
IX.--Fossil Seed-vessels or Cones (_Lepidostrobus_) of
the Lepidodendron 35
X.--An aquatic Plant (_Hydatica_) in Coal shale 37
XI.--A fine specimen of another species of Hydatica 39
XII.--A delicate aquatic Plant (_Myriophyllites_) in Coal
shale 41
XIII.--Portion of the Stem of the _Calamites ramosus_ 43
XIV.--Fragment of Stems of another species of Calamite
(_Calamites dubius_) 45
XV.--Stem of a Calamite very much resembling the Bamboo
(_Calamites pseudo-bambusia_) 47
XVI.--Another species of Calamite (_Calamites approximatus_) 49
XVII.--Stem of another kind of Calamite (_Calamites decoratus_) 51
XVIII.--Fossil Stems allied to the Pandanus or Yucca
(_Sternbergia transversa_) 53
XIX.--Stem of a species of Sigillaria (_Sigillaria fibrosa_) 55
XX.--Stem of another kind of Sigillaria 57
XXI.--Fossil Roots of Sigillaria (_Stigmaria ficoides_) 59
XXII.--Another species of Stigmaria (_Stigmaria verrucosa_) 61
XXIII.--Fragment of a Stigmaria with large tubercles 63
XXIV.--Part of a Stem of a tree allied to Sigillaria
(_Aspidiaria cristata_) 65
XXV.--Stem of a Plant allied to the Arborescent Ferns
(_Megaphyton_) 67
XXVI.--Stem of a species of Lepidodendron 69
XXVII.--Fossil Plant allied to the Lepidodendron 71
XXVIII.--A beautiful fossil Fern resembling Osmunda regalis
(_Neuropteris auriculata_) 73
XXIX.--An elegant trifoliate Fern in Coal shale
(_Neuropteris trifoliata_) 75
XXX.--An exquisite specimen of fossil Fern (_Pecopteris Miltoni_) 77
XXXI.--Another elegant Fern in Coal shale (_Pecopteris plumosa_) 79
XXXII.--A very beautiful plumose Fern in Coal shale
(_Alethopteris decurrens_) 81
XXXIII.--A fossil Fruit or Seed-vessel in Coal shale
(_Carpolithes marginatus_) 83
FOSSIL REMAINS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM.
(_Plates XXXIV. to LXXIV: inclusive._)
XXXIV.--A beautiful mass of Coral (_Syringopora geniculata_) on
Carboniferous limestone 87
XXXV.--Several kinds of fossil Corals (_Syringopora ramulosa_,
_Catenipora escharoides_, &c.) 89
XXXVI.--Corals from different formations (_Fungia_,
_Cyathophyllum_) 91
XXXVII.--Various fossil Corals (_Astrea_, _Lithostrotion_,
_Caryophyllia annularis_) 93
XXXVIII.--Corals and Coral marbles (_Cyathophyllum_, _Astrea_,
_Lithodendron_) 95
XXXIX.--Fossil Corals, and Sponges or Amorphozoa (_Siphonia_,
_Favosites_, _Explanaria_) 97
XL.--Various fossil Zoophytes (_Clionites_, _Millepora_) 99
XLI.--A beautiful specimen of a cyathiform fossil Zoophyte
(_Chenendopora Parkinsoni_) 101
XLII.--Several kinds of Zoophytes in Flint (_Choanites_,
_Siphonia_, _Jerea_) 103
XLIII.--Various Corals and other Zoophytes (_Fungia polymorpha_,
_Jerea pyriformis_, _Ventriculite_) 105
XLIV.--Silicified Sponges and other Zoophytes (_Scyphia_,
_Cnemidium_, _Chenendopora_) 107
XLV.--Several kinds of calcareous and silicified Corals and
other Zoophytes 109
XLVI.--A recent Pentacrinus (_P. caput medusæ_), and a
beautiful Fossil species 111
XLVII.--Numerous specimens of portions of Stems, separate
Ossicles, and Receptacles, of various kinds of
Encrinites and Pentacrinites 113
XLVIII.--The Lily Encrinite (_Encrinites monileformis_) 115
XLIX.--Remains of several kinds of Encrinites and Encrinital
marbles 117
L.--Chiefly specimens of the Pear Encrinite of Bradford, in
Wiltshire (_Apiocrinus Parkinsoni_) 119
LI.--Several kinds of Crinoidea (_Actinocrinites_,
_Pentacrinites_) 121
LII.--Specimens of Pentacrinites from Lyme Regis 123
LIII.--Fossil Star-fishes (_Goniaster_, _Ophiura_, _Cidaris_) 125
LIV.--Various kinds of Echinites or fossil Sea-urchins
(_Clypeaster_, _Ananchytes_, _Discoidea_, _Conulus_) 127
LV.--Several varieties of fossil Echini (_Cidaris_,
_Nucleolites_, _Micraster_, _Spatangus_) 129
LVI.--Echinites and echinital Spines 131
LVII.--Fossil univalve Shells (_Euomphalus_, &c.) and
_Cololites_ 133
LVIII.--Fossil Shells of various kinds of Cephalopoda
(_Nautilus_, _Orthoceras_, _Lituties_, &c.) 135
LIX.--Belemnites, Orthoceratites, and Hippurites, &c. 137
LX.--Belemnites and Ammonites 139
LXI.--Hamites of several species; Scaphites, Nummulites, &c. 141
LXII.--Fossil Foraminifera of several genera 143
LXIII.--Several species of Trigonia 145
LXIV.--Fossil bivalve Shells (_Cucullæa_, _Crassatella_,
_Lima_, _Cardium_, &c.), and the anomalous bodies
termed _Trigonellites_ 147
LXV.--Fossil Shells of the genera _Panopæa_, _Teredina_, &c. 149
LXVI.--Fossil Shells of the genera _Ostrea_, _Perna_,
_Gryphea_, &c. 151
LXVII.--Chiefly Shells of brachiopodous Mollusca,
(_Terebratula_, _Spirifer_, _Productus_, &c.) 153
LXVIII.--Fossil Crabs from Sheppey; Trilobites, Insects, &c. 155
LXIX.--Remains of Turtles from Sheppey, and Vertebræ of
Crocodilian Reptiles from Havre, and of the _Mosasaurus_ 157
LXX.--The Jaws of the fossil Reptile of Maestricht
(_Mosasaurus_); and Teeth of various kinds of
Sharks and Rays (_Carcharias_, _Miliobatis_,
_Pthychodus_, &c.) 159
LXXI.--Skull and Antlers of the fossil Elk of Ireland, and Teeth
of the Mammoth 161
LXXII.--Fossil teeth of _Hippopotamus_, _Rhinoceros_,
_Dinotherium_, _Palæotherium_, and _Anoplotherium_;
and ungueal bone of Megalonyx 163
LXXIII.--Skeleton of the _Megatherium_, and Teeth of the fossil
_Bears_ of the Caverns 165
LXXIV.--Molar Teeth of _Mastodon giganteus_, from Big-bone Lick,
Kentucky 167
Frontispiece.--Foot of the Moa of New Zealand.
SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES.
1. Fossil Bears of the Caverns 166
2. The Belemnite _ib._
3. Fossil Remains of Birds--Moa of New Zealand 172
4. Botanical Arrangement of Fossil Vegetables 175
5. Cephalopoda--Nautilus, Ammonite, &c. 180
6. Carboniferous Formations 181
7. Coal 182
8. Corals _ib._
9. Cuvier's Principles of Palæontology 183
10. Fossil Edentata, Megatherium, &c. 184
11. Flint: Animal Remains in Siliceous Nodules 185
12. Foraminifera 186
13. The Gigantic extinct Irish Elk: Cervus megaloceros 189
14. Fossil Infusoria _ib._
15. The Mosasaurus, or Fossil Animal of Maestricht 191
16. Fossil Reptiles 192
17. --------------- of the Wealden: the Iguanodon 193, 202
18. ------------------------------ the Pelorosaurus 197
19. Silicification and Siliceous Petrifactions _ib._
20. Stigmariæ and Sigillariæ 198
WORKS REFERRED TO IN THE DESCRIPTIONS.
Michelin, Iconographie Zoophytologie, Paris, 4to.
Göppert, H. R. Die Fossilen, Farrnkrauter,--forming vol. xvii. of
the Nova Acta Academiæ C. L. C. Naturæ Curiosorum. 1836, 4to.
Presl, C. B., Sternberg, Dr. G. Flora der Vorwelt, Part VII. and
VIII. edited by Presl.
Goldfuss, Dr. A., Petrefacta Germaniæ, folio, Dusseldorf, 1841-44.
Fossil Flora of Great Britain, by Dr. Lindley and Mr. Button.
Dr. Buckland's Bridgewater Essay on Geology and Mineralogy, 2 vols,
with numerous Plates.
The Wonders of Geology, 3 vols, sixth edition, 1849.
The Medals of Creation, 2 vols. 1844.
Geological Excursions round the Isle of Wight and along the
adjacent Coast of Dorsetshire, 1 vol. numerous Plates.
Thoughts on Animalcules, 1 vol. numerous coloured Plates, second
edition, 1850.
Thoughts on a Pebble, with 30 Illustrations, eighth edition, 1850.
Lyell, Sir Charles, Travels in. America, 1845, and 1849.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FRONTISPIECE.
THE MOA OF NEW ZEALAND.
The Frontispiece represents the entire series of bones composing the
right foot of the Moa (_Dinornis robustus_), found imbedded in an
erect position, with the corresponding foot a yard in advance, in a
turbary deposit, at Waikouaiti, in the Middle Island of New Zealand,
in 1849. The figures are one-third less in linear dimensions than the
originals.
Figures 1^_a_, 2^_a_, 3^_a_, show the palmar, or under surface of
the respective toes, and exhibit the trochlear or articulating
extremities of the phalangeal bones.
* * * * *
The ancient swamp or morass in which these matchless specimens were
imbedded, is situated on the shore, in a little creek or bay near
Island Point, at the mouth of the river Waikouaiti, and is covered
by the sea except at the lowest tides. Many remains of the largest
species of Moa have from time to time been obtained from this
deposit; the bones sent to England by Dr. Mackellar, Mr. Percy Earle,
and others, figured and described in the Zoological Transactions by
Professor Owen, were from this locality.
The specimens figured were obtained by Mr. Walter Mantell, in
1849, when visiting Waikouaiti, as Government Commissioner for the
settlement of Native claims. On the recession of the tide, the
upper (or proximal) ends of the metatarsals were just visible above
the surface: these were carefully dug up, and all the bones of the
respective toes numbered, one by one, as they were extracted from
the soil. In this state they were sent to me, and have subsequently
been articulated under my direction, in their natural order of
arrangement.[1]
[Footnote 1: By the well-known eminent anatomical artist, Mr. Flower,
of 22, Lambeth Terrace, Lambeth Road.]
The condition and position of the bones, and the nature of the
deposit,--evidently an ancient morass, in which the New Zealand flax
(_phormium tenax_) once grew luxuriantly,--remind us of the very
similar circumstances in which the extinct gigantic Elks in Ireland,
and the Mastodons in America, have occasionally been found engulfed
in peat bogs and morasses; and, as my son emphatically observes, it
is impossible to arrive at any other conclusion than that the Moa to
which these feet belonged, had sunk down in the swamp, and perished
on the spot. Vertebræ and other parts of a skeleton of a bird of the
same proportions, were dug up near the feet.
As the specimens under examination are the first examples in
which the entire series of the phalangeal and ungueal bones have
been found in natural connexion with the metatarsals, I subjoin
the admeasurements of the several parts, to render the peculiar
construction of the feet in one species of the lost race of the
colossal birds of New Zealand, more obvious to those who may feel
interested in the subject.
TARSO-METATARSAL BONES.
Inches. Lines.
Length of the shaft from the distal end of the middle
trochlea to the proximal extremity 17 0
Circumference of the proximal end 11 9
Transverse diameter, or width, of ditto 4 6
Antero-posterior diameter of ditto 3 6
Circumference of the middle of the shaft 6 3
Antero-posterior diameter of ditto 1 8
Transverse diameter of ditto 3 6
Width of the distal, or trochlear, end 6 3
Circumference of the trochlear end 15 6
Antero-posterior diameter of the middle trochlea 3 9
PHALANGEAL BONES.
Inner Toe. Middle Toe. Outer Toe.
(Fig. 1.) (Fig. 2.) (Fig. 3.)
Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines. Inches. Lines.
First, or proximal phalanx
{ Length 4 9 -- 4 3 -- 3 2
{ Circumference of proximal end 6 6 -- 6 9 -- 5 9
Second phalangeal bone.
{ Length 1 9 -- 2 6 -- 1 9
{ Circumference of proximal end 3 0 -- 5 3 -- 4 9
Third phalangeal bone Ungueal.
{ Length {3 0} -- 1 9 -- 1 0
{ Circumference of proximal end {4 0} -- 4 6 -- 4 6
Third phalangeal bone Ungueal.
{ Length {3 0} -- 0 11
{ Circumference of proximal end {4 2} -- 4 0
Fifth ungueal bone
{ Length 2 6
{ Circumference of proximal end 3 9
The total length of the toes is as follows:--inner digit, 9½ inch.;
middle, 11½ inch.; outer, 9-1/3 inch. The transverse diameter of the
expanse of the foot, from the distal extremity of the inner toe (fig.
1^a), to that of the outer one (fig. 3^a), is 15½ inches. The length
from the posterior part of the trochlear extremity of the metatarsal
to the distal end of the ungueal of the middle toe (fig. 2^a), is
13 inches. If to the actual dimensions of the bones be added the
proportional thickness of the cartilaginous integuments, nails, &c.,
the length of the foot of the living bird may be estimated at about
16 inches, and the breadth at 17 or 18 inches.
From the great width and solidity of the metatarsals, and the form
and corresponding size and strength of the phalangeals and ungueals,
the ornithologist will perceive that the feet of the Moa must have
constituted powerful instruments for scratching, digging, and
uprooting the sub-terrestrial vegetable substances, which Professor
Owen, with great probability, infers, formed the chief sustenance of
the extinct colossal birds of New Zealand.
According to the relative proportions of the bones composing the
hinder extremities of the gigantic species of Moa, the corresponding
_tibia_, or leg-bone, of the feet above described, would be two feet
nine inches in length, and the _femur_, or thigh bone, nine and a
half inches; the total height of the bird was probably about ten feet.
Tibiæ, femora, and other bones of much larger proportions,
(apparently of _Dinornis giganteus_ and _D. ingens_,) were obtained
from the same locality; some of these indicate birds of eleven or
twelve feet in height; dimensions exceeding by one-third those of the
largest known existing species of Struthionidæ--the Ostrich.[2]
[Footnote 2: Even from this imperfect description (and further
anatomical details would be irrelevant in the present work), the
ornithologist cannot fail to observe the peculiar characters
exhibited by these extremities of the remarkable family of birds,
of which the diminutive Apteryx appears to be the only living
representative. But the Apteryx differs most essentially in the
structure of the cranium and mandibles, from the extinct types to
which Professor Owen has given the names of Dinornis, Palapteryx,
Aptornis, &c.
With regard to the construction of the feet it may be further
remarked, that the length of the inner and outer toes is nearly
equal, as in the Cassowary; but the middle toe, which in the
Cassowary is one-third longer than the other digits, in the Moa
scarcely exceeds in length by one-fifth, the inner and outer toes.
The ungueal segments are very large, being equal to one-third the
length of the toes. The phalangeals are relatively much shorter than
in the Cassowary and Ostrich, and wider than in the former, and more
arched than in either of these living struthious birds.
In the metatarsal the presence of the three elements whose fusion
constitutes the bone, is strongly marked; there does not appear
to be any certain indications of a posterior or hind toe, though
Professor Owen imagines he has detected feeble traces of a fourth
digit: in that case the bird to which my specimens belonged, would
be termed _Palapteryx_. The crania found by Mr. Walter Mantell at
Waingongoro, and figured and described by Professor Owen in the
Zoological Transactions (Vol. III., Plates 52, 53, 54, 55), as
Dinornis and Palapteryx, must have belonged to birds of comparatively
small stature. The skull with the adze-like upper mandible, and
the enormously-developed _basi-occipitals_ and _basi-sphenoids_
(_Dinornis_, of Professor Owen, Plate 53), was found associated with
many vertebræ of the neck and back, and bones of the leg, of the same
bird; and these my son states indicated a height of from six to seven
feet. The skull and the rest of the skeleton were found imbedded in
sand, and lying in their natural relative position; unfortunately,
all these precious remains, except the cranium, were destroyed by
a sudden rush of the natives to seize upon the exhumed relics! It
therefore yet remains to discover the cranial type that characterized
the colossal forms at present known only by other parts of the
skeleton.]
Referring the reader to the additional account of the fossil birds
of New Zealand given in a subsequent part of this volume (see
_Supplementary Notes_, p. 173), I will conclude this notice with a
few general remarks. From the numerous facts relating to the fossil
remains of birds from our Antipodean colony, that have now been
brought under the consideration of the naturalists and geologists of
this country, we may safely conclude, that at a period geologically
recent, but of immense antiquity in relation to the human inhabitants
of those Islands, New Zealand was densely peopled by tribes of
colossal struthious bipeds, of species and genera that have long
since become extinct. I believe that ages ere the advent of the
Maori tribes, the Moa and its kindred were the chief inhabitants
of the country, and that from the period when those Islands were
taken possession of by man, the race gradually diminished, and the
colossal types were finally annihilated by human agency. That some
of the largest species were contemporary with the Maories, there can
now be no reasonable doubt. Apart from native traditions, and songs
and tales in which allusions are made to the gigantic magnitude and
flowing plumage of the Moa, the collocation of calcined and half
roasted bones of the Dinornis, of dogs, and of the human species,
in the ancient fire-heaps of the aborigines, and the unequivocal
marks of the celt or axe of jade on some of the tibiæ,--the chips or
cuts having evidently been made on the bones when recent,--afford
incontrovertible proof that the last of the Moas, like the last of
the Dodos, was annihilated by human agency.
From the remarkable size and strength of the thighs, legs, and feet
of the Moas, it is clear that the hinder limbs must have constituted
powerful locomotive organs; and when we consider the vast swarms of
the largest species which existed at some remote period, it seems
highly probable that this family of colossal birds,--a family unknown
in any other part of the world,--was not originally confined within
the narrow geographical limits of modern New Zealand, but ranged over
a vast continent now submerged, and of which Phillip and Norfolk
Islands, and Chatham and Auckland Islands, and those of New Zealand,
are the culminating points.
But whatever may be the result of future discoveries as to the
relative age of the bone-deposits, or the existence or extinction
of any of the colossal species of Moa, or the former extension of
the race over countries now submerged, one astounding fact must ever
remain unassailable--the vast preponderance of the class Aves or
Birds, that prevailed, and which still prevails, in the fauna of New
Zealand, to the almost entire exclusion of mammalia and reptiles. Any
palæontologist who saw only the collections sent over by my son, must
have been astonished at their extent and variety. I may venture to
affirm that such an assemblage of the fossil bones of birds was never
before seen in Europe: nearly fifteen hundred specimens, collected
from various parts of the country, with scarcely any intermixture
of the remains of any other class;--it is a phenomenon as startling
as the exclusively reptilian character of the fauna of the Wealden
epoch. But the fauna of New Zealand, even at the present time,
presents a character as ornithic and as anomalous as its ancient one;
for while there are upwards of fifty or sixty genera of birds, there
is but one indigenous mammalian quadruped known to naturalists--a
species of rat! In this respect, therefore, as well as in its flora,
in which ferns and other cellulosæ of peculiar types prevail to an
extent unknown elsewhere, the country offers a striking example of
that now acknowledged fact in natural history--a centre or focus of
creation of certain organic types. And this law, with whose operation
during the palæozoic and secondary ages modern geological researches
have made us familiar, appears to have continued in unabated energy
to the present moment.
From what has been advanced, it is manifest that the present
geographical distribution of special groups of terrestrial animals
and plants, displays as many anomalies in the relative predominance
of the different classes and orders over certain areas, without
relation to climatorial or other obvious physical conditions, as can
be traced in the natural records of the earlier ages of the world.
The conclusion therefore forces itself upon the mind, that throughout
the vast periods of time to which our retrospective knowledge
extends, the geological changes of the earth's surface, and the
appearance and obliteration of species and genera, have been governed
by the same physical and organic laws; and that notwithstanding the
variable conditions of the land and the water, indicated by the
sedimentary formations, there was at no period a greater discrepancy
in the assemblages of certain types of the animal and vegetable
kingdoms, than exists at present.
Of the nature of that law by which the extinction of a race of highly
organized beings is determined, and whose effects through innumerable
ages palæontology has in part revealed, we are as utterly ignorant
as of that which governs the first appearance of the minutest living
animalcule which the powers of the microscope enable us to descry;
both are veiled in inscrutable mystery, the results only are within
the scope of our finite comprehension.[3]
[Footnote 3: See the concluding part of Lecture VIII. § 46, Wonders
of Geology, vol. ii. p. 890.]
INTRODUCTION.
The publication of Mr. Parkinson's "_Organic Remains of a former
World_," at the commencement of the present century, must be regarded
as a memorable event in the history of British Palæontology: it was
the first attempt to give a familiar and scientific account of the
fossil relics of animals and plants, accompanied by figures of the
specimens described.
The three volumes[4] of which the work consisted, appeared at
considerable intervals; the last was published in 1811. Although
nearly forty years have since elapsed, and hundreds of geological
works, of all kinds and degrees of merit, have subsequently been
issued, Mr. Parkinson's Plates, owing to their fidelity and beauty,
are still in such request, as to induce the proprietor, Mr. Bohn, now
that the work is out of print, to publish them, with the descriptions
and modern names of the fossils represented.
[Footnote 4: Three volumes, in 4to.; price 10_l._ 10_s._]
I have added a few explanatory remarks, and in the "Supplementary
Notes," have given extended notices of some of the most interesting
subjects, with the view of rendering the volume more intelligible and
acceptable to the general reader.
In looking through the original work of Mr. Parkinson, the instructed
observer will not fail to perceive the immense progress which the
study of fossil animals and plants has made since the period of
its first appearance in 1811. At that time, the terms Geology and
Palæontology were unknown; all the sedimentary strata have since been
accurately defined and arranged, and names assigned to the respective
systems or formations; while the so-called _Diluvial Epoch_, which
Mr. Parkinson, and even Baron Cuvier, considered as established
by incontrovertible physical evidence, has been expunged from the
chronology of geology. In Mr. Parkinson's volumes, no allusion will
be found to that most remarkable era in the earth's history which
modern researches have brought to light--_the Age of Reptiles_;
the terms Ichthyosauri, Plesiosauri, Iguanodon, Megalosaurus--now
familiar as household words--are not inscribed on their pages; all
those marvellous beings of past ages have been discovered during the
last forty years; in short, the remark of an eminent critic is as
true as it is beautiful:--"Geology is a philosophy which never rests;
its law is progress; a point which yesterday was invisible is its
goal to-day, and will be its starting-post to-morrow."
I gladly avail myself of this opportunity to make a passing allusion
to the excellent and accomplished author, Mr. Parkinson. I had the
pleasure and privilege of his acquaintance in my youth, immediately
after the publication of the third volume of his valuable work. Mr.
Parkinson was rather below the middle stature, with an energetic,
intelligent, and pleasing expression of countenance, and of mild
and courteous manners; readily imparting information, either on his
favourite science, or on professional subjects; for he was at that
time actively engaged in medical practice in Hoxton Square, and
was the author of several valuable medical treatises. He kindly
showed and explained to me the principal objects in his cabinets,
and pointed out every source of information on fossil remains; a
department of natural knowledge at that time but little cultivated
in England, but which peculiar circumstances had contributed to
render the engrossing object of my young and ardent mind. In after
years Mr. Parkinson warmly encouraged my attempts to elucidate the
nature of the strata and organic remains of my native county, Sussex,
a district which was then supposed to be destitute of geological
interest; and he revised my drawings, and favoured me with his
remarks on many subjects treated of in my first work--"_The Fossils
of the South Downs_."[5]
[Footnote 5: Published in 1822.]
In 1822, Mr. Parkinson published "An Introduction to the Study of
Fossil Organic Remains, especially of those found in the British
Strata; intended to aid the Student in his Inquiries respecting
the Nature of Fossils, and their Connexion with the Formation of
the Earth;" 1 vol. 8vo. with ten plates, principally of the genera
of fossil shells. He also contributed a few papers to the early
volumes of the Geological Society of London, of which he was one of
the original members. After Mr. Parkinson's death, his beautiful
and choice collection was sold by auction, and its contents widely
dispersed. The fine series of silicified zoophytes was purchased by
Mr. Featherstonhaugh, and taken to America; and some years afterwards
was destroyed by a fire which consumed the museum in which it was
placed.
As illustrative of the pleasing style of Mr. Parkinson's work, I
subjoin an abstract of the chapter, _On the Pleasure and Advantages
of a Knowledge of Fossil Remains_. The epistolary style was adopted;
and the first letter is supposed to be penned by a friend desirous of
learning the nature of certain fossils he had observed on his journey
to Oxford:--
"I have lived long enough to witness many sad disappointments to the
fond dreams of happiness indulged by persons who, only intent on the
acquisition of riches, had neglected to cultivate any intellectual or
ennobling pursuit; so that on retiring from active life, they were
unable to enjoy the leisure so dearly earned by years of anxiety and
care, and either relapsed into a state of miserable ennui, or gave
themselves up to the excitement of frivolous or vicious indulgences.
"Aware of the necessity of devoting the few leisure hours, which
the duties of my calling left at my disposal, to some rational
and amusing occupation, I have always cultivated, more or less
assiduously, some branch of art or science, and thence acquired an
enthusiastic admiration for the beauties of nature, and an insatiable
curiosity to pry into the mysteries of the natural world. With this
state of mind, I have at length resolved to avail myself of the means
my little fortune affords me to indulge those feelings, and have, I
trust, quitted the busy scenes of the world for ever.
"In pursuance of a plan long entertained of visiting the most
interesting parts of our island, I left London last week, accompanied
by my daughter, and our old friend, Frank Wilton, whose lively
disposition and agreeable manners render him, as you well know, an
excellent companion. But he has made himself most acceptable to us
on another account;--his resolute scepticism with respect to the
more rational, and his submissive credulity as to the popular and
traditional explanations of such natural phenomena as are beyond his
comprehension, are frequently productive of remarks so quaint and
humorous, as to contribute in no small degree to our enjoyment.
"Ere our first day's journey was completed, I discovered how
insufficient was the knowledge I possessed to enable me to form
even a conjecture, as to the nature of the very first objects which
particularly arrested our attention. We were within a few miles of
Oxford, when Wilton, looking out of the carriage window, exclaimed,
'Bless me! never before did I see roads mended with such materials!'
This, of course, drew my attention to what had so strongly excited
his wonder; and I must confess that my astonishment was but little
less than his own; for I beheld a labourer with a large hammer
breaking to pieces a nearly circular ornamented stone, half as
large as the fore-wheel of our carriage, and resembling in form a
coiled-up serpent, or snake. We instantly stopped the chaise, and
inquired of the man the name of the stone, and where it came from.
'This, Sir,' he replied, 'is a _snake-stone_, and comes from yonder
quarry, where there are thousands of them.' Upon hearing this, we all
alighted, and with surprise examined some of the unbroken stones,
which, though evidently bearing the form of an unknown animal, were
composed of solid rock. As we sauntered along, the carriage following
us, we came to a neat building on the road-side, which a sign in
the hedge opposite denoted to be a house of public entertainment.
Hoping to gain more satisfactory information respecting the objects
that had so much excited our curiosity, we entered this literally
hedge ale-house, and on being shown into a neat room, the casement
of which, surrounded by roses and honeysuckles in full bloom,
opened into a garden redolent with fragrance and beauty, from the
wild profusion of its flowers and shrubs, we determined to rest
awhile, and partake of such refreshment as the cottage might afford.
While these were preparing, Frank Wilton, whose restless curiosity
leaves nothing unobserved, was examining the contents of the old
oaken mantel-shelf, and suddenly cried out, 'Well! if the object of
travelling is to behold novelties and wonders, surely this county
will afford that gratification in the highest degree; for among the
curious things on this mantel-piece, there is not one of which I
have ever seen its like before.' The articles now passed under my
examination, and with no better success; for I had never observed
anything similar, nor could I form a rational conjecture respecting
their nature.
"While thus engaged, our landlady made her appearance, and from her
we learnt that this was her collection of curiosities, gathered from
the neighbouring country; and she readily imparted to us all she knew
of the subject. Taking up one of the stones, which resembled those
we had seen on the road,--'This,' she said, 'is a petrified snake,
with which this neighbourhood abounds. These were once fairies that
inhabited these parts, and, for their crimes, were turned first into
snakes, and then into stones. Here'--showing a stone of a conical
form--'is one of the fairies' night-caps,[6] now also become stone.'
'Do, madam,' addressing Emma, 'pray observe this pattern; is it
possible lace-work like this should ever have been worked by human
hands? This--and this--are pieces of bones of giants, who lived
here after the fairies were destroyed.' These bones, she informed
us, were frequently dug up in several parts of the county, as well
as innumerable _thunderbolts_,[7] some of which she also showed us,
affirming that they were the very thunderbolts by which the giants
were in their turn annihilated.
[Footnote 6: A Cidaris, or turban-echinite; see Plate LIII.]
[Footnote 7: _Belemnites_, popularly termed "thunderbolts," Plate LIX.]
"We all listened attentively to this discourse, and on my smiling,
when she withdrew, at the romantic account we had received, Wilton
strenuously defended our good landlady's narration, and declared, he
thought it was not without a fair share of probability. On the return
of our hostess, I did not venture to express any doubt of the truth
of her story, but merely requested to know if she was aware of there
being anywhere a more extensive collection of similar curiosities.
'To be sure. Sir,' she replied, 'our University has a museum full of
them; and if you be going through Oxford, it will be well worth your
while to see it.'
"After taking refreshment, we left our kind and communicative
hostess, but not with an intention of immediately visiting the Museum
of the University. On the contrary, I felt that, without some
previous knowledge of the objects to be examined, our curiosity would
be only excited, not gratified; and I resolved to defer our visit to
Oxford, until we had obtained the information necessary to insure
us both pleasure and profit in the investigation of the relics of
interest it contained.
"Thus, my dear friend, at the very outset of my long anticipated
holidays, I have experienced considerable disappointment, and I
confidently appeal to you to afford me the information I require;
for I know that you have successfully cultivated the science which
teaches the nature of these figured stones, or petrifactions, and
possess a valuable collection of these most extraordinary objects.
You now, therefore, have it in your power to add greatly to the
delight and instruction I am anticipating from my travels, by giving
me an insight into the origin and nature of the petrified remains
which, I am told, are every where to be met with in the districts we
are about to visit."
* * * * *
Of Mr. Artis's Work, I need only mention that it was intended, as
its title expresses, to illustrate "_The Fossil Remains of Plants
peculiar to the Coal Formations of Great Britain; selected for
their novelty and interest from upwards of a Thousand Specimens in
the possession of the Author_; by Edmund Tyrell Artis, Esq. F.S.A.
F.G.S." It was published by Nichols & Son, 1838. The plates are well
executed, and faithfully portray the original specimens.
* * * * *
_Gallery of Organic Remains in the British Museum._
The collection of fossils in our national museum is now so varied and
extensive, and so admirably arranged by its eminent Curator, Charles
König, Esq., F.R.S., and his able assistants, Mr. Waterhouse and Mr.
Woodward, that the intelligent reader whose interest may be awakened
by the beautiful and curious objects figured and described in this
volume, cannot fail to be highly gratified by inspecting leisurely
the various organic remains from all parts of the world, that are
there displayed.
I gladly avail myself of this opportunity gratefully to acknowledge
the liberality and kindness I have at all times experienced from the
Officers of the several departments of Natural History in the British
Museum, in promoting my scientific researches, by affording me every
facility to examine the vast stores of Information placed under their
guardianship.
[Illustration]
DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATES.
PART I.
FOSSIL FLORA.
Plates I. to XXXIII. inclusive.
[Illustration: Plate I]
DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATES.
* * * * *
PLATE I.
(Plates I. to IX. inclusive are from Parkinson's Organic Remains.)
Fossil Woods and Leaves.
Fig. 1. Fossil coniferous wood, from a bed of clay at Blackwall.
This wood is simply bituminized, and has undergone no other
mineral transmutation; it is in the usual condition of wood
in peat-bogs.
Fig. 2. A piece of bituminous wood, containing _Mellite_,
or Honey-stone (_honigstein_ of Werner), the yellow
crystallized substance in the middle of the specimen. It is
a fossil resin, allied to amber: from Thuringia.
Fig. 3. Carbonized coniferous wood, from the so-called "Bovey
Coal" formation of Devonshire.
Fig, 4. A piece of calcareous wood, showing very distinctly the
ligneous structure on the surface.
Fig. 5. Lignite, or carbonized wood, in clay; the cracks or
fissures in the wood are filled up with white calcareous
spar. Specimens of this kind are common in many argillaceous
strata, as well as in limestone.
Fig. 6. A fragment of shale, covered with the imprints of the
leaf-stalks that have been shed. It is a species of
_Lepidodendron_. See description of Plate XXVI.
Fig. 7. This fossil vegetable is part of the stem of a tree; and
possibly of a species of _Sigillaria_.
Fig. 8. Portion of a nodule of ironstone, enclosing some pinnules
or leaflets of a beautiful fern (_Neuropteris_): from
Coalbrook Dale, Shropshire.
[Illustration: Plate II.]
PLATE II.
Petrified Woods.
Fig. 1. Silicified bituminized wood; probably from New Holland.
Fig. 2. Silicified root of a coniferous tree, (_Rhizolithes_, of
the early collectors,) "resembling in structure that of the
larch."--_Mr. Parkinson._
Fig. 3. A similar example of silicified bituminous wood, or root.
Fig. 4. Fossil coniferous wood, a longitudinal section.
Fig. 5. Another section of the same fossil wood.
Fig. 6. "Petrified larch-tree," from Mount Krappe in Hungary.
Fig. 7. Silicified bituminous wood.
Fig. 8. "Jasperized wood, resembling in structure that of the
hazel."--_Mr. Parkinson._
Fig. 9. Silicified coniferous wood; apparently a dried and
withered mass, before it underwent petrifaction.
Fig. 10. Silicified wood, having a cavity lined with mammillated
chalcedony; appearing as if the silex had percolated through
the substance of the mass, and had slowly oozed into the
hollow.
Fig. 11. Silicified bituminous wood. In this specimen the
siliceous matter occurs in yellow semi-pellucid globules;
the colour is supposed to have been derived from the bitumen.
The silicified woods delineated above, belong to the division which
Mr. Parkinson denominated opaline; he conceived their peculiar
characters to have resulted from an infiltration of fluid silex
into the ligneous tissue, which, having previously undergone
bituminization, was in a permeable state; hence originated the
conchoidal fracture and peculiar resinous lustre which these
specimens exhibit.
The specimen, fig. 7, Mr. Parkinson describes as corroborating the
opinion that the ligneous tissues were converted into a bituminous
substance, and subsequently impregnated with siliceous matter. "In
that fossil there is a knot of wood which differs not the least
in appearance from that in a recent piece, but it is perfectly
impregnated with opaline silex. Is it possible that the change this
knot has suffered could have been effected by an abstraction of the
greater part or of the whole of its constituent molecules, and a
substitution of particles of a different nature? Its hardness and
closeness of texture oppose an insuperable bar to the supposition:
whilst the mysteriousness of the change is entirely dispelled
by admitting of the softening operation of bituminization, and
consequent admission of silex in a fluid state."--_Mr. Parkinson_.
[Illustration: Plate III.]
PLATE III.
Petrified Stems and Leaves.
Fig. 1. A portion of the trunk of the fossil vegetable called
_Stigmaria ficoides_ (of M. Alex. Brongniart); it is
the root of a tree common in the coal deposits; see
_Supplementary Notes_, Art. _Stigmaria_, p. 198, for a
description of the nature and mode of occurrence of these
fossils.
Fig. 2. Impressions of dicotyledonous leaves in travertine; a
modern calcareous deposit; from Campania.[8]
[Footnote 8: Medals of Creation, vol. i. p. 193.]
Fig. 3. Part of the stem of a reed-like plant (_Calamites
dubius_, Brongniart); from the coal deposits of Yorkshire.
See description of _Calamites_.
Fig. 4. Appears to be a fragment of the stem of a species of
_Lepidodendron_.
Fig. 5. Fragment of the leaf of a Cycadeous plant, from the
oolite of Stonesfield. (_Zamia pectinata._)
Fig. 6. Portion of an ironstone nodule, split asunder, showing
part of the terminal branch of a _Lepidodendron_, from
Coalbrook Dale. See description of _Lepidodendron_.
Fig. 7. "A pebble that appears to have been partly enveloped in a
leaf while in a soft state, which has produced the markings
on its surface."--_Mr. Parkinson._
Fig. 8. "Ligniform pitchstone;" fossil wood having a resinous
transparency; supposed by Mr. Parkinson to have originated
from an intermixture of silex and bitumen; the internal part
is opalized.
Fig. 9. Fragment of calcareous coniferous wood from the Lias of
Charmouth, Dorsetshire: the vegetable structure is well
preserved.
[Illustration: Plate IV.]
PLATE IV.
Fossil Fern Leaves.
Figs. 1, & 2. An ironstone nodule, split asunder, showing an
inclosed fern-leaf (_Alethopteris lonchitidis_, of
Sternberg); from the coal-beds of Newcastle.
Figs. 3, & 4. The corresponding parts of another nodule,
containing a fern-leaf of a different kind (_Neuropteris_).
Fig. 5. A very beautiful fossil fern (_Cheilanthes microlobus_,
of Göppert; _Sphenopteris_, of Brongniart); from the coal
formation.
Fig. 6. A slab of coal-shale with fronds of ferns (_Alethopteris
Serlii_, of Göppert); from Dunkerton.
Fig. 7. A beautiful fern (_Pecopteris_) in coal-shale; from
Newcastle.
[Illustration: Plate V.]
PLATE V.
Fossil Ferns and Stems.
Fig. 1. A beautiful delicate plant, belonging to a family of
which numerous species occur in the coal deposits; named,
from the stellular form of the foliage, _Asterophyllites_.
Fig. 2. A fern in coal-shale, from Yorkshire. (_Sphenopteris
trifoliata_, of Artis.)
Fig. 3. Another species of star-leaf plant (_Annularia
brevifolia_), from the coal of Silesia.
Fig. 4. A dicotyledonous leaf in sandstone, in a beautiful state
of preservation; from the tertiary strata of Œningen.
Fig. 5. A frond of a remarkable species of extinct fern
(_Cyclopteris orbicularis_, of Brongniart); from the coal of
Shropshire.
Fig. 6. An elegant fern (_Pecopteris_), from coal shale;
Newcastle.
Fig. 7. A delicate plant (_Sphenophyllum erosum_, vel _dentatum_,
of Sternberg), with wedge-shaped pinnules, from the coal
formation.
Fig. 8. Portion of a stem, flattened by compression, of a species
of _Sigillaria_ (_Sigillaria tesselata_, of Brongniart).
From the coal of Yorkshire.
Fig. 9. Fern (_Pecopteris oreopteridis_, of Brongniart); from the
coal of South Wales.
Figs. 10, & 11. Two specimens of _Asterophyllites_ in ironstone
nodules, from Coalbrook Dale. The white appearance is
occasioned by a deposition of hydrate of alumina.
[Illustration: Plate VI.]
PLATE VI.
Fossil Fruits from Sheppey.
The greater number of the specimens here figured, are from the London
clay of the Isle of Sheppey.[9]
[Footnote 9: For an account of the circumstances under which fossil
fruits, &c. occur in that celebrated locality, see Medals of
Creation, vol. ii.]
These fossils are strongly impregnated with pyrites (sulphuret of
iron), and are liable to decompose after exposure to the air for a
few weeks or months, even when placed in closed cabinets: when first
found they are remarkably beautiful. An excellent work on the fossil
fruits of the Isle of Sheppey, was commenced by J. S. Bowerbank, Esq.
F.K.S. of Highbury Grove; but which, it is much to be regretted, was
discontinued after only three numbers were published.
Fig. 1. Portion of a branch of a tree, completely mineralized by
pyrites; it is the "pyritous fossil wood" of Mr. Parkinson.
Figs. 2, & 3. Vegetable substances, too imperfect to determine.
Figs. 4, 8, 9, & 13. The berries of an extinct genus of plants,
(named _Wetherellia_, by Mr. Bowerbank, in honour of Mr.
Wetherell of Highgate,) which, from their appearance when
split asunder, are called by the local collectors, "coffee
berries." The natural affinities of these fossils are not
determined.
Figs. 5, 6, & 7. The fruit or seed-vessel of a palm allied to the
recent Nipa, a native of the Molucca Islands; the fossil is
therefore named _Nipadites_.[10] See the next Plate.
[Footnote 10: Medals of Creation, vol. i. p, 180.]
Figs. 10, & 12. Fossil fruits of plants belonging to the Cucumber
tribe (hence named _Cucumites_, by Mr. Bowerbank).[11]
[Footnote 11: Plate xiii. of Mr. Bowerbank's work on the Fossil
Fruits of the London Clay, contains numerous figures of Cucumites.]
Fig. 11. A transverse section of Fig. 16.
Figs. 14, 18, 24, & 26, are varieties of Cucumites.
Fig. 16. Calcareous wood from Oxfordshire.
Fig. 19. Wood mineralized by copper (Cupreous fossil-wood of
Parkinson), from Souxson, in Siberia.