416 Palaeontologie. — Personalnachrichten. 



ovary having receded into a vegetative branch, which now either ripens 

 into the well known prickly pear or continues unchanged as a vegetative 

 part of the plant. Trelease. 



Smith, B., On a Lepidodendroid stem from the Coal- 

 measiires. (Geol. Mag. Vol. II. Dec. 5, 1905. p. 208— 211, 

 and text figure.) 



The stem hgured was derived from the Middle Coalmea- 

 sures of South Staffordshire, near Dudley, and shows 

 a number of mammillated leaf-cushions, unusually distant from 

 one another, and separated by broad bands of striated bark. 

 The wide Separation of the leaf-cushions is exceptional in the 

 case of British Lepldudendra. In this instance each cushion is 

 placed at a distance of 1,6 — 1,7 cm. from its neighbour in the 

 same spiral, and 2 — 3 cm. from its nearest neighbour in the 

 Spiral above or below. The bark between the leaf-cushions is 

 wrinkled longitudinally, the fine corrugations anastomosing at 

 small angles. The general appearance of the specimen seems 

 to favour the idea that it is a part of an old branch or stem. 

 It is compared vvith Lepidodendron serpentigenun, and other 

 species in which the leaf cushions are more widely separated. 



Arber (Cambridge). 



Weiss, F. E. and J. Lomax, The Stem and Brauches of 



Lepidodendron selaqinoides. (Mem. and Proc. Manchester 



Liter, and Phil. Soc' Vol. IL. 1905. Mem. 17. p. 1—8, and 



Plate.) 



The specimen described is a stem, having the structure of 



Binney's Sigillarla vascularis (with a ring of secondary 



wood), giving off branches which possess the Organisation of 



Lepidodendron selaginoides Sternb. (without secondary wood). 



It is stated to be the first example to be described showing 



actual continuity between these two types of stem, although the 



conclusion that they are identical has been generally accepted 



for a long time past. 



It is pointed out that the main axis is interesting in posses- 

 sing a complete and evenly distributed ring of secondary wood, 

 whereas the lateral branches are without any secondary xylem. 

 The mode of branching is fully discussed and illustrated. 



Arber (Cambridge). 



Personalnachrichten. 



Ernannt: Der ordentliche Professor für Botanik an der 

 Universität Wien, Dr. R. v. Wettstein, zum auswärtigen Mit- 

 gliede der Königlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu 

 Madrid. 



Aasgegeben: 24. Oktober 1905. 



Commi^sions-Verlag: h". J. BtiU in Leiden (Holland). 

 Druck von Gebrüder Gotthelft, Kgl. Hofbuchdrucker in Cassel. 



