S6 Annals of the South African Museum. 



Frond long and linear, pinnate, rachis strong, bearing pinnules 

 which in the lower part of the frond are entire and more or less 

 semicircular in form, and gradually pass into longer and lobed seg- 

 ments as we ascend the rachis. The longer pinnules, which may 

 reach a length of 6 cm. or more, are not attached by the whole of 

 the base, like the stouter and broader segments in the basal portion 

 of the frond, but the basal lobe of the upper edge of the segment is 

 free from the rachis. Apex of pinnules bluntly rounded. Veins 

 spreading, curving towards the edge of the pinnules with repeated 

 ■dichotomous branching, and converging in the longer segments to 

 form a fairly distinct midrib in the lower part of the lamina. 



The discovery of Neuropteridium at Vereeniging by Mr. Leslie, to 

 which allusion has been made in a recently published article," 

 affords a very interesting confirmation of the striking similarity 

 between the vegetation of the Talchir-Karharberi series of India and 

 that of South America and South Africa. There can be no reason- 

 able doubt as to the identity of the Indian species and the plant 

 from Vereeniging. Similarly Carruthers' OdontoiJteris ijlantiana 

 from Eio Grande do Sul, Brazil, is undoubtedly the same type, and 

 Kurtz has already recognised the identity of Argentine specimens 

 with Feistmantel's species. The type-specimens of Carruthers' 

 plant from Brazil are in the British Museum Collection, and an 

 examination of them confirms my opinion as to the identity of the 

 Brazilian, African, and Indian fronds. 



Plate X., figs. 1, la, Ih (XXII.). 



Fig. 1 is drawn slightly less than natural size. Frond 54 cm. long. 

 The basal portion is probably close to the actual termination, but the 

 apex has not been preserved. The lowest pinnule, which is almost 

 ■orbicular in outline, is approximately 2-5 cm. in breadth and 2 cm. 

 in length ; the spreading and forked veins are faintly indicated. The 

 fourth segment from the bottom of the rachis is 2-6 cm. long and 

 2-9 cm. broad, the margin appears to be entire, but the upper edge 

 is flatter than the more strongly arched lower margin. The next 

 pinnule is shghtly larger, and shows the beginning of a subdivision 

 of the lamina into broad lobes. Pinnule number 7 reaches a 

 length of 5 cm., and has well-marked lobes with the NciLropteris type 

 of venation. This segment is shown very slightly larger than 



* Seward (02). 



