Palaeontologie. . 231 



appearance of their annual rings, and he was also the first to chal- 

 lenge the description of the Palaeozoic as the "Age of Cryptogams". 

 The main interest in this early history is the evidence that these 

 early palaeobotanists were working on much the same lines as we 

 ourselves. M. C. Stopes (London). 



Stopes, M. C, A Suggested Reform in Palaeobotany. 

 (Nature. LXXXVIII. 2196. p. 143—144. 1911.) 



A ietter based on work on the american plant known as 

 Ophioglossum granulatum and proved to be the male cones of Pinus, 

 embodying a recommendation to palaebotanists that in the interests 

 of science there should be a distinction in the printing of the names 

 of fossils of which the determination is realty reliable, and those 

 where it is practically guesswork. Gothic lettering is suggested for 

 the latter, as a sign [immediately recognisable by all], that the 

 author himself is uncertain of the exact nature of the fossil. This 

 is particularly needed in lists where modern genera have been 

 utilised in the naming, often with no foundation whatever for the 

 suggested comparison. M. C. Stopes (London). 



Thomas, H. H., On the Spores of somejurassic Ferns. 

 (Proc. Cambridge phil. Soc. XVI. 4. p. 384-388. pl. III. 1911.) 



The paper records the discovering of the spores and sporangia 

 of two common Jurassic ferns, Todites Wiiliamsoni and Coniopteris 

 hymenophylloides. In Coniopteris the sporangia are oblong, -4 — - 5 mm. 

 long and clearly annulate. The details of the sporangia lend support 

 to the view that the genus is allied to the modern Cyatheaceae. 



Of Todites fertile specimens have long been known, but details 

 of the English spores have not hitherto been described. Some of the 

 sporangia are "3— - 4 mm. in diameter, and appear to be exannulate, 

 and to have a group of cells with walls of uniform thickness regu- 

 larly arranged round the apical part. When these sporangia are 

 cleared, the spores become visible, about 100 to a sporangium. In- 

 dividual spores are about -06 mm. in diameter, with slight sculp- 

 turing. Specimens of CladopJüebis lobifolia collected by Prof. Nat- 

 horst have also yielded spores, which Miss Thomas thinks justify 

 the removal of the species to a new genus Eboracia. 



M. C. Stopes (London). 



Thomas, H. H., Recent Researches on the lurassic Plants 

 of Yorkshire. (Naturalist. 659. p. 409—410. 1911.) 



The paper is a brief summary of the results ofProf. Nathorst, 

 Dr. Halle, and the author, in the group of the Bemiettitales , and 

 the ferns. Small fruitlike bodies cailed Caytonia were discovered 

 by the author and may yield interesting data. 



M. C. Stopes (London). 



Wright, W. B., On the Occurrence of Submerged Forests 

 in certain Inland Lakes in Donegal. (Geol. Mag. IX. 573. 

 p. 115—120. 2 Textfigs. 1912.) 



The author draws attention to the Swedish accounts of the 

 presence of submerged forests in many inland, fresh water lakes. 

 and then describes cases observed by him in 1910 in Ireland. In a 



