On the Discovery of Plants in the Lower Old Red Sandstone of the Neighbourhood of Callander

Abstract

1. Introduction .—Before proceeding to describe the plants from the localities in question, and their geological horizon, we append a brief historical outline of the vegetable remains of the Scotch Old Red Sandstone. The gradually accumulating evidence of a terrestrial flora in the Old Red Sandstone of Scotland since the first discovery of plants in that formation by the Rev. Dr. Fleming and Hugh Miller, and the reference of many of them to land rather than aquatic forms, by Charles William Peach, leads all observers interested in the subject to hope that ere long botanists may be in possession of sufficient material to enable them to illustrate the flora of that remote period in a more satisfactory manner than can be done at present, and to restore, in some degree at least, the bygone vegetable organisms which then existed. As a slight contribution to this end, we have now the pleasure of announcing the discovery by one of us (R. L. J.) of land plants in the Old-Red-Sandstone series of the neighbourhood of Callander, during the progress of the Geological Survey of that district under the direction of Prof. Geikie, F.R.S. 2. Bibliography .—One of the earliest notices which has come under our observation is a short paper, in 1811, by the Rev. Mr. Fleming, entitled, ‘A Mineralogical Account of Papa Stour, one of the Zetland Islands’, wherein it is stated that in Bressay, near Lerwick, “the sandstone includes beds of slate-clay, and contains vegetable impressions similar to those common in the