4 Ward — Species of ('j/enrleoidea fmni 3If(ryla)id. 



the two ])rincipal ones to Washington for tlie purpose. Artistic 

 photographs have been taken of these and of all the more im- 

 portant trunks in Mr. Bibbins' collection. 



A year ago I had proceeded far enough to have discovered 

 that the cycadean trunks from the Iron Ore beds of Maryland 

 embraced no less than seven good species which could be clearh^ 

 separated and described, and since that time I have accomplished 

 the work of describing and naming these species and of assign- 

 ing each si^ecimen to its appropriate specific group. As it is 

 very convenient in the general discussion to 1)e able to speak of 

 these forms in a definite way, I have decided to publish these 

 names with the descriptions, so that the new species may not 

 need to be mentioned prior to such description, thereby cum- 

 bering the literature with nomina nudn. It is, however, clearly 

 to be understood that these descriptions are not final, as they 

 are based entirely on external characters and such macroscopic 

 observations as I have lieen able to make of the internal parts 

 prior, for the most part, to the cutting of sections, and do not 

 embody an}^ results that may be arrived at by Dr. Knowlton 

 after a microscopic study of the various tissues. This latter, 

 however, can scarcely result in reducing the number of species, 

 as the more general characters are those that have been chiefly 

 relied upon ibr specific differentiation, and if it results in increas- 

 ing the number by showing that some of the specimens possess 

 internal characters that cannot Ije specifically united with the 

 others, this will lead to no confusion. 



With regard to the classification adopted, I may remark that 

 Buckland, in studying for the first time the fossil trunks from 

 the Purbeck beds of the Portland quarries, called to his assist- 

 ance the great contemporary Ijotanist, Robert Brown, whom he 

 expressly credits with the suggestion that the differences between 

 the fossil and living forms are sufficient to establish a new family 

 distinct from t he existing fiimily of Cycadea3, and tp which the 

 name Cycadeoldese was given. The generic name Cycadeo'ulca was 

 also employed at the same time, but it afterwards transpired that 

 this was not approved by Robert Brown, who only proposed the 

 family name. Brown must therefore be credited with the name 

 Cycadeoidea? and Buckland with Cycadeoidea. The wisdom of 

 Brown's suggestion has l)een abundantly vindicated by the sulj- 

 sequent study of these forms, and the more their internal anatomy 

 is made known, especially the nature of their inflorescence and 



