of the Fossil Plants of the genus Higillaria. 287 



mens of Sigillaria^ in the Newcastle Museum, strongly corrobofate 

 this supposition. On breaking one of those specimens, which is in the 

 state of the division A, Fig. 3, Plate 1, and consequently a portion of the 

 rock which surrounded the plant, there were clearly displayed a great 

 many raraentum-like appendages, about an inch in length, and an 

 eighth of an inch in width. They were visible only in those breaks cor** 

 responding to the furrows ; and, owing to their number, the specimen 

 was most easily broken in those parts. That they were not leaves, is abun- 

 dantly proved by their size and situation : in this respect they agree 

 with ramenta, which I have seen on the channellings of the larch, and 

 some other conifers. The base of the leaf-like appendages which Brong- 

 niart observed on the specimens of Sigillaria lepidodendrifolia, already re- 

 ferred to, appears to have embraced the entire width of a rib ; in this 

 case, these appendages may have been broad ramenta, similar to what 

 are found on Ferns : if they are really attached to the leaf-scars, as is 

 Stated, may they not be compressed petioles ? their being slightly chan- 

 nelled would almost induce one to answer this question in the affir- 

 mative. 



(To be continued.) 



SUPPLEMENTARY NOTE. 



Several of the foliaceous remains of the Jurassic period, although evi- 

 dently belonging to CycadidcB, are nevertheless possessed of characters 

 which prevent them being placed in any genus of existing plants of thia 

 family. This is the case with Pterophyllum, Ctenis, and Nilssonia. Be- 

 sides these, there are others which have generally been considered as 

 Cycadeous ; they have their leaflets more or less auriculated at the base^ 

 and are furnished with veins which diverge from the rachis, and which 

 are often forked. Brongniart, in his *' Prodrome" (1828), made a genus 

 for them under the name of Zamites. The plant figured in the *' Trans- 

 actions of the Geological Society," 2d S., vol. i., pi. 7, fig. 3, appears to 

 have been considered as typical of the genus. Previously to the publi- 

 cation of the " Prodrome," its author had named the same fossil Filicttei 

 Bechci in the " Annales des Sciences Naturelles," for 1825. 



In 1834, Lindley and Hutton received the same species from Dr Buck- 

 land, and,being unacquainted with the circumstances justreferred to, they 

 published it under the name of Otopteris obtusa* expressing at the same 

 time their doubts as to its being a Fern. Subsequently, they included 

 in the same genus a fossil which they had previously published under 

 the name of Cyclopteris Beanit, and also another which they called 

 Otopteris acuminata, but which had been previously named Cycadites lati- 

 folius by Phillips in his *' Geology of the Yorkshire Coast." 



Mr Morris, in the " Transactions of the Geological Society,'* 2d S.# 



of Fern leaves having been its foliage, in support of which he adduces the sup- 

 posed remains of petioles, on a specimen from Anzin cPl. 164, fig. 7). I presxnne 

 the discovery of S. lepidodendrifolia was made subsequently to the general re- 

 marks being written. 



• " Fossil Flora," PI. 128. 



