138 RECORDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



venation. There is a distance of twenty millimetres between the 

 nodes. PI. xxiv., fig. 7, is on the opposide of the same piece of 

 matrix to that on which PI. xxvi., tig. 6, is preserved, and the 

 stem of the one is continuous through the shale, and joins that of 

 the other, thereby confirming — first, that the two sets of fronds 

 in PI. XXV., fig. 5, belong to one and the same caudex, and are 

 looking in opposite directions by accidental displacement; second, 

 that the clusters of fronds, occur at intervals along the caudexes, 

 dividing the latter into nodes and internodes with great regularity. 

 All the caudexes with fronds attached, as well as sundry small 

 fragments scattered over the matrix of the various specimens, 

 exhibit the remains of internal structure, but in varied degrees of 

 distinctness. From two of the best fragments sections were pre- 

 pared by Mr. Charles Merton, Section Cutter to the Geological 

 Survey of New South Wales. A general view of one of these, 

 enlarged, is shown in PI. xxvi., fig. 10, and an enlargement 

 of a portion of the latter in fig. 11 of the same plate. A longi- 

 tudinal section from another fragment is seen in PL xxvii., fig. 12. 

 There is not the slightest shade of a doubt that the portions from 

 which these sections are taken are those of caudexes of the same 

 plant to which the fronds are attached, and not that of any 

 fortuitous intruder. It will be observed that in PI. xxvi., fig. 10, 

 the centre is occupied by an amorphous mass of opaque material 

 surrounded by a zone of cellular tissue, and two other discontinuous 

 zones. The enlarged illustration indicates that this tissue con- 

 sisted of radial rows or lines of cells roughly arranged in bundles. 

 Further remarks on these sections will be made later on. 



Frond Scars. — The corona, or enlargement, terminating the 

 short caudex impression in PI. xxvi., fig. 6, bears numerous fronds 

 in various states of preservation. On that portion left bare by 

 the falling olf of the latter, are visil)le triangular frond scars in 

 oblique lines indicating a spiral arrangement of the fronds, precisely 

 as on the caudex of a living Tree-fern. Each of these scars bears a 

 more or less central single pit, indicating the former presence of a 

 vascular opening. On the right-hand side of the figure are broken 

 stipe bases, with portion of a frond protruding through the matrix 

 beyond, whilst on the left-hand are three fronds in a revolute 

 condition, the stipes of two being actually attached to the frond 

 scars. I do not think a more complete demonstration of the 

 relation of these parts, one to the other, could be made. 



Fronds. — The fronds are linear-lanceolate, narrow, entire, de- 

 creasing very gradually in size towards their apices, which are 

 obtusely pointed. In the young frond (PI. xxiv., fig. 3) the 

 linear-lanceolate outline gives place to a shorter, broader, and 

 sub-pyriform shape. The fronds appear to have been thick and 

 fleshy \ the longest observed measured twelve millimetres. The 

 proximal end of each is in the form of a broad stipe, articulating 



