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V.—The Fossil Insects of North America
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 May 2009
Extract
Some years ago, Dr. Dawson, who has himself been very successful in the discovery of insect-remains, described and figured fragments of a species of myriapod under the name of Xylobius sigillaria. The remains, many of which occurred in coprolites of reptiles, were obtained at the Joggins, in upright Sigillaria trees, between coal-groups fourteen and fifteen of division four in Dr. Dawson's detailed section of the Nova Scotia formations. As his descriptions of the animal and its mode of occurrence are easily accessible to English geologists, it is needless to refer to them more explicitly. The coprolites, however, yielded some true insect remains; these, as well as fragments of insects, not coprolitio, were kindly sent me for examination by Dr. Dawson. They consist almost entirely of crushed and indeterminate masses of chitinous matter; the few detached and connected abdominal segments which can be distinguished in variably show that the abdomen was slender and the insect of medium size. Beyond this, little can be said of them. I noticed, however, two remains of eyes; one crushed, distorted, and ill-defined, the other, the beautiful fragment mentioned by Dr. Dawson, whose original size it is difficult to determine. The facets are large and regularly disposed, somewhat resembling the Perlidœ; but the proportion of the eye to the body varies so much in insects that it is impossible to judge of the size of the animal to which this fragment belonged. A few articulations of an antenna are seen on one of the stones; they probably belonged to a very small or very young cockroach. All the remains of insects appear to be neuropterous or orthopterous. I believe I have distinguished five different kinds. There were also two leeches belonging to distinct genera.
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References
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