Palaeontologie, — Agricultur, Horticiiltur und Forstbotanik. 447 



character, and it was only in much later days, perhaps far on 

 in the Carboniferous era, that they gave rise to seed-plants of 

 a more modern type {Cycadophytä). 



The origin oi the Conlferae is next briefly toiiched lipon; 

 and the author conckides that although the indications are so- 

 mewhat scanty, yet, such as they are, they appear all to point 

 to an aifinity betv/een the Conlfers generally and the Palaeozoic 

 Cordaiteae, and through them with the Pteridospermeae, and 

 so in the last resort with the Fern-phylum in the broadest 

 sense. 



Finally, the Gymnospermous seed-plants generally are best 

 regarded as in a broad sense, monophyletic, the whole class 

 having been ultimately derived from the Pteridospermic stock, 

 itseli allied most nearly to the Ferns. In a narrower sense; 

 however, we may still speak of the probable origin of the 

 Gymnosperms as polyphyletic, for there is reason to believe 

 that their different rnain groups sprang from the common, fern- 

 like stock, at different times, and at different points. We are 

 further driven to the conclusion that the balance of power 

 among the plants of Carboniferous times must have been very 

 different from what we have been accustomed to believe, and 

 the flora of that period can no longer be described as the Reign 

 of the Higher Cryptogams. Arber (Cambridge). 



Seward, A. C. an d A. S. WoODWARD, Permo-Carboni- 



ferous Plants and Vertebrates from Kashmir. 



(Mem. Geol. Surv. India, = Pal. Indica, N. S. Vol. II. 



Mem. 2. p. 1 — 14. PI. VIII— X. 1905.) 



A new species of Gangamopteris, G. Rashmirensis, is here 



described and figured by Mr. Seward, which was recently 



discovered in Kashmir by Dr. Noetling, in beds appa- 



rently below the Permian marine strata. This discovery is of 



interest as confirming the generally accepted view of the Permo- 



Carboniferous age of the Glossopteris Flora in India and 



elsewhere. The new species differs from Gangamopteris cyclopte- 



roides, the best known member of the genus, in the flatter form of the 



arch formed by the lateral veins and in the greater inclination 



of the veins to the margin of the lamina. Several specimens 



are figured and described, and the author adds some remarks 



on the difficulty in clearly distinguishing between this genus 



and Glossopteris. In association with this new species, an 



imperfect specimen was found which has been doubtfully deter^ 



mined by Mr. Seward as ? Psygmophyllum sp. 



Arber (Cambridge). 



Willis, T. C, Annual Report on the Royal Botanic 



Gardens. (Ceylon 1904. p. 1— 42.j 



The publicatio i includes the report proper of Dr. Willis, in which 

 he reviews the work of the department and also sunimarizes the most 



