1080 NOTES ON AUSTRALIAN FOSSILS, 



The frond is seen from its upper surface which is coriaceous, bright, 

 nearly smooth, and has the external appearance of some leaves of 

 Calamus. This upper surface is covered with longitudinal venations 

 slightly marked, some, however, irregularly disposed, being more 

 conspicuous ; the under surface, on the contrary, shows by its 

 impression that the venation was very regular and very close, the 

 distance between the veins being less than half a millimetre. 



Although the ultimate bidental subdivisions of the frond is very 

 much like that in Jeanpaidia bidens, T. Woods, there is a feature 

 in our plant which would strongly militate against its being a fern. 

 It is that the frond seems as if it were split, as happens in some 

 conifers and palms. It is indeed very difficult to see the point of 

 separation of the divisions, and I could not see any bifurcating 

 vein there. 



According to de Saporta (I.e., p. 463) — " Les Jeanpaulia et 

 Baiera se montrent avec le EUietien a Textreme base du Lias 

 Inferieur ; ils reparaissent ensuite dans l'Oolithe et leur existence 

 se prolongej usque dans le Wealdien. Si Ton maintient la distinction 

 des deux genres, il semble que les Jeanpaulia regnent seuls dans 

 l'lnfra-Lias, qu 'ils sont associes aux Baiera dans l'Oolithe et que 

 ceux-ci leur survivent dans le Wealdien. Au total, les Jeanpaulia 

 constituent un groupe essentiellement Jurassique." 



By coincidence it happened that Mr. R. M.Johnston, F.L.S., 

 read lately before the Royal Society of Tasmania, a paper entitled 

 " Fresh contributions to our knowledge of the plants of Mesozoic 

 age in Tasmania," (1) in which the author, among other plants from 

 the coal seams at Newtown (Jerusalem Coal Basin), describes a 

 species of Baiera (B. tenuifolia, Johnston), which he considers as a 

 conifer. It has not a palmate frond like Baiera digitata (Brngt.) 

 Schenk, (2) and has more the outline of Jeanpaulia Munsteriana 

 (Presl.) Ung. on a smaller scale, while the leaves are narrower 

 comparatively than in this last plant. 



Mr. Johnston had the kindness to send to the Museum the 

 following new species, including his Baiera : — Tkinnfeldia 



(1) Proc. R. S. Tasm. Oct. 11, 1886. 



(2) Schimperl.c, p. 423. 



