HISTORICAL SKETCH. l.W 



In the same year, Anderson l also recorded Glossopteris and 

 Phyllotlwca from Zululaud, and Victoria County, Natal. 



(h) Transvaal 



One of the first records of Glossopteris from the Transvaal was 

 that by Penning, 2 who stated that this plant is found in the 

 "High-level Coalfields" of the Transvaal. He also mentioned 

 the occurrence of Glossopteris, Palceozamia, and Pubidgea, genera 

 previously described from Cape Colony by Tate, at Sand Spruit, 

 near Wimburg. Alford, 3 in 1891, stated that Lepidodendron, 

 Pecopteris, Neuropterix, and ? Cycadean fruits have been recognised 

 in the coal-beds of the Transvaal. Some of these determinations 

 are probably open to doubt. Some three years later, Molengraaff * 

 mentioned that Sigillaria had been found in coal from Zwartkoppies, 

 15 kilometres east of Vredeford, and Gangamopteris from between 

 Klerksdorp and Driekop. 



Potonie, 5 in 1894, recorded Sohizoneura and Glossopteris from the 

 Holfontein Colliery in the Middelburg district. Lepidodendron and 

 Farularia were also mentioned by (joldmann 6 from Vereeniging, 

 35 miles south of Johannesburg. 



In 1896, Professor Zeiller, in de Launay's 7 " Les mines d'or du 

 Transvaal," gave a short account of the fossils found in the Ecca 

 Series at "Francis" [= Casey's Township] in the neighbourhood 

 of Johannesburg. In the same year, Professor Zeiller 8 published 

 a fuller description of these specimens. This paper is especially 

 remarkable for a detailed study of the morphological features of 

 Vertebraria, the rhizome of Glossopteris, and also for accurate 

 figures of Brongniart's type-specimens of Glossopteris indica and 

 G. angustijoUa. The fossils described are as follows : — 



Vertebraria indica, Royle. 

 Gloysopteris Broioniana, Brong.- 

 G. indica, Schimper. 

 G. angustifolia, Brong. 



1 Anderson (01), pp. hi, 87. 



2 Penning (84), pp. 663, 668, etc. ; (91), p. 452. 



3 Alford (91), pp. 63, 64. 4 Molengraaif (94), p. 236. 

 5 Fotonie (94), p. 66. 6 Goldmann (95), p. x.xiv. 



7 Zeiller, in de Lannay (96), pp. 206-9. 8 Zeiller (96'j. 



e 



