12S D. WHITE A NEW T.ENIOPTEROID FERN AND ITS ALLIES. 



forms may reasonably be considered as common, if not lineal, the Les- 

 leya appearing to date back nearer, the type of Megalopteris dawsoni. 1 On 

 the other hand, the conspicuously unequally rounded bases seen in some 

 species of Macrotseniopteris* suggest that the leaves may be only petioled 

 divisions, comparable in arrangement to the pinnules of Neriopteris lan- 

 ceolata, Newb., and be derived from pinnate forms. It may not be going 

 too far to add that from some Permian or Triassic species of T&niopteris 

 or Macrotseniopteris, essentially distinguished from the former only by the 

 greater size and sometimes thinner texture, may well have originated the 

 Oleandridium, thought by Schenk 3 to be probably marattiaceous. 



As tending to confirm the hypothesis of the descent of the genera 

 Angiopteris and Dansea from the Megalopteris stock may be noted the 

 probable relationship of the neuropterids, whose origin, as Neuropteris, 

 in or with Megalopteris is generally accepted by those who have studied 

 specimens of the latter genus, to the Marattiacese. Although no satisfac- 

 torily definite fruiting of any of the Neuropteridese has yet been discovered, 

 the internal structure of the stems described by Renault 4 as Myelopteris 

 or Myeloxylon, and afterwards identified as Neuropteris, Odontoptosis and 

 Alethopteris, is found to resemble that of the living Marattiacese. more than 

 any other known type of fern structure. Thus, from the evidence afforded 

 by their internal structure, which has led M. Renault 5 to include Alethop- 

 teris among the Neuropteridese,, the marattiaceous nature of Megalopteris 

 has already received strong support. 



In this connection it is interesting to compare the illustrations of some 

 of the more alethopteroid species of Neuropteris, suchas N. retorquata, 

 Daws., 6 and N. selwynii, Daws., 7 from the Middle Devonian, N antecedens, 

 Stur, 8 and N dluhoschi, Stur 9 (cf. N elrodi, Lesq.) from the Lower Car- 

 boniferous, N biformis, Lesq., 10 N matheroni, Zeill., 11 and the figures given 



1. It is quite possible that from the Leslei/a type may have been derived the Glossopte.ris group 

 appearing in the Middle Carboniferous and Permo-Carboniferous of Australia. Lesquereux's diag- 

 nosis differs, as he remarks, from Brongniart's description of the latter only by the nerves not 

 anastomosing. In this connection it is interesting to consult Newberry's Tceniopteris ijlossopte- 

 roides (Macomb Expedition, 1S76, p. 147, pi. vii, figs. 2, 2a) from the Trias of Sonora, New Mexico. 

 The supposed fruit dots represented in his figure 5 appear quite similar to the dots seen between 

 the nerves of Alethopteris maxima, Andr. 



2. See M. magnifolia, (Rogers) Sehimp., Fontaine, Old. Mes. PI., Monogr. U. S. G. S., vi, p. 19, pi. ii, 

 tig. 1, i>l. iii, iv, v. 



3. Palseontogr., xxxi, 1881, p. bis. 



4. Cours hot. foss., iii, p. 163.. 



5. 6p. cit., p. 152. 



6. Foss. PI. Dev., Upp. Sil. Can., p. 50, pi. xvii, fig. 200. 



7. Ibid., fig. 198. 



8. Culm-Flora, p. 53, pi. xv, figs. l-r>. 



9. Op. cit., p. 289, pi. xxviii, fig. 9. 



10. Coal Flora, p. 121, pi. xiii, fig. 7. 



11. FI. foss. Commentry, pt. 1. pi. xxviii. fig. 7. 



