PALiEOBOTANY IN 1921 561 



are prepared for all standard horizons, real comparative palaso- 

 botany can begin on its true task of analytically examining 

 the progress of evolution and dispersal of species. E. M. Round 

 reports and figures Odontopteris genuina in Rhode Island {Bot. 

 Gaz., vol. Ixxii, pp. 397-403). 



Special work on Coal has been followed out in this country 

 by chemists investigating further the palasobotanical zones in 

 coal described by Stopes in 1919. See R. Lessing (" The Mineral 

 Constituents of Banded Bituminous Coal," Trans. Chem. Soc, 

 vol. cxvii, pp. 256-65 ; and " Studies in the Distribution of 

 Mineral Matter in Coal," Trans. Inst. Mining Engin., vol. Ix, 

 pt. 3, pp. 288-309, and vol. Ixi, pt. i, pp. 36-41), and F. S. 

 Sinnatt (" The Constitution of Coal," Trans. Inst. Mining 

 Engin., vol. Ixii), and others who are working on the detailed 

 structure of Fusain, Durain, Clarain, and Vitrain. Work on 

 Brown Coal has appeared in Germany by W. Gothan (" Neue 

 Arten der Braunkohlenuntersuchung," in Braunkohle, 1921, 

 No. 27), and both by B. Kubart and R. Krausel under the 

 same title (" 1st Taxodiian distichum oder Sequoia sempervirens 

 Charakterbaum der deutschen Braunkohle ? " Ber. deuts. Bot. 

 Gesell. Jahrg., 1921, vol. xxxix), depending largely on micro- 

 scopically identified tissue-structure. It is evident that palaeo- 

 botanical work and results will form the basis for advance 

 in almost all aspects of coal research. 



The Mesozoic floras of New South Wales were further dealt 

 with by A. B. Walkom in his memoir, " Fossil Plants from 

 Cockabutta Mountain and Talbragar " {Mem. Geol. Surv., 

 N.S. Wales, No. 12, pp. 1-2 1, pis. i-vi). Eleven species of 

 Ferns and Gymnosperms are there described, including some 

 new species of Thinnfeldia, and the age of the beds is determined 

 as being Jurassic. G. Erdtman described a new species of 

 Equisetites from Sweden and Neocalarnites Nathorstii n. sp. 

 from Yorkshire, inArkiv. Bot., vol. xvii, No. 3 ; and in the same 

 journal. No. i, T. G. Halle described and figured some beautifully 

 preserved sporangia of Mesozoic Ferns, particularly of Danceopsis 

 fecunda n. sp. W. N. Edwards described a new Wealden 

 fructification in his paper " On a small Bennettitalean Flower 

 from the Wealden of Sussex " (with a " Note on Parka decipiens" 

 in the Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. vii, ser. 9, pp. 440-4, pi. xii), 

 obtaining masses of spore-remains, which indicate a William- 

 soniella affinity. " The Missing Link in Osmundites " was 

 described by M. C. Stopes {Annals Bot., vol. xxxv. No. 137, 

 pp. 55-61, pi. ii, fig.)) from a small petrified specimen with a 

 segment of the main axis and surrounding leaf bases. The 

 latter were normal Osmundaceous meristeles, but the main 

 axis had a solid central protostele with a beginning of secondary 

 thickening, features of theoretical interest in the series of 



