Palaeontologie. 279 



sonia) pecten, and other common species are Taeniopteris vittata, 

 Baiera longifolia, Nilssonia mediana, Dictyosaniites hawelli and 

 Sagenopteris phiUipsi. Two new species, Marattiopsis anglica and 

 Pseiidoctenis lanei, are described, and in addition \.Q) \.\\.^%^ Dictyosa- 

 niites hawelli (allied to D. johnstrupi from Bornholm) is unknown 

 elsewhere. Stachypteris hallei is confined to Marske and Whitby, 

 and Baiera longifolia is not known from any other British locality. 

 Male sporophylls of Williamsonia are not uncommon, and a Single 

 female strobilus has been found. Altogether 21 species are recorded. 



W. N. Edwards. 



Weiss, F. E., A Tylodendron-Wke Fossil. (Mem. Proc. Manchester 

 Lit. Phil. Soc. LVII. 3. n». 18. 14 pp. 2 pl. 1913.) 



A silicified fossil of doubtful origin is described as Tylodendron 

 Cowardii, n. sp. The specimen consists chiefly of pith, with some 

 smaJl masses of woody tissue round the circumference. The pith is 

 composed of thin-walled parenchyma, and contains in the outer 

 layers numerous secretory canals, which have not previously been 

 observed in Tylodendron. Small separated groups of tracheids, some- 

 times reduced to a Single tracheid, occur inside the main xylem 

 mass, and apparently represent the remains of centripetal wood', 

 bat the position of the protoxylem is indeterminable. The double 

 leaf-traces have an endarch arrangement. The structure and pitting 

 of the secondary wood indicate an Araucarian affinity, while in 

 other characters, such as the secretory ducts, the plant was more 

 primitive, and shows agreement with some Cordaitales. 



W. N. Edwards. 



Weiss, F. E., The Root-apex and young root of Lyginoden- 

 dron. (Mem. Proc. Manchester Lit. and Phil. Soc. LVII. 3. n^. 16. 

 10 pp. 1 pl. 1913.) 



From an examination of the well-preserved delicate rootlets of 

 Lyginodendron in the calcareous nodules of Lancashire the author 

 concludes that probably there was a Single apical cell, as in the 

 leptosporangiate ferns. W. N. Edwards. 



White, D., Resins in Paleozoic Plants and in coals of 



high rank. (U. S. Geol. Surv. Prof. Paper. 85E. p. 65-83. 



pl. 9—14. 1914.) 



In this extremely important contribution the author shows that high 



rank coals are simply peats, mainly of swamp types offormation, 



that have been transformed by normal geologic processes into the 



various grades of coal. Contrary to the opinion of many, especially 



European, geologists, Paleozoic coals contain resinous substances 



in abundance as do also both high and low grade coals of the 



American Cretaceous and Tertiary. It is shown that Carboniferous 



floras afford araple evidence that they were as rieh in resinous 



products as the floras of later geologic periods. Finally observations 



are given of the physical changes in the resins consequent on the 



alteration of coals to successively higher ranks. Berry. 



Wieland, G. R., The Liassic Flora of the Mixteca Alta of 



Mexico. (Am. Jour. Sei. (IV) XXXVI. p. 251-281. tf. 1—2. 1913.) 



A preliminary announcement of the discovery of a rieh flora 



