Fossil Floras of Cape Colony. 27 



as one can see, not connected by transverse or oblique anastomoses, 

 but in other respects Tate's species agrees closely with Ctenis falcata 

 L. and H. A very similar form of leaf is represented also by a 

 specimen in the York Museum from the Inferior Oolite beds of East 

 Yorkshire ; but until we obtain more material Tate's species cannot 

 be more fully defined or compared with other types. The specimen 

 probably represents a portion from the apical region of a frond of 

 similar form to the Wealden species Zamitcs huchianns (Ett.). 



Genus NILSSONIA. 



NiLSSONIA TATEI Sp. nOV. 



Plate IV., figs. 1, 2. 



The specimens (291c, 293c), on which this species is founded, are 

 almost too fragmentary to name, but the portions of fronds repre- 

 sented in figs. 1 and 2, with an imperfectly preserved larger specimen 

 (293c), enable us to obtain some idea as to the general form of the 

 complete leaf. 



Frond consisting of a prominent woody axis bearing a lamina 

 dissected into long band-like segments of unequal breadth, separated 

 from one another by fairly broad sinuses reaching to the rachis. 

 The lamina appears to have extended on to the upper face of the 

 rachis, and was probably continued over it as in the typical Nilssonia 

 fronds ; the segments are traversed by numerous parallel veins which 

 were single or forked close to their origin from the axis. The species 

 with which the Uitenhage fragments exhibit the closest similarity 

 have been described under the generic name PtcrophylliLm, but there 

 appears to be enough evidence in the present case to assign the 

 specimens to Nilssonia. 



Among Indian forms, the following may be compared with 

 Nilssonia tatci : — 



Pterophyllum livinceps 0. and M.,'''- P. rajmalialense Morr., t 

 P. carter ianum 0\di.;l P. morr isian urn Old., § P. falconerianum 

 Morr., II and P. medlicotianwm O. and M.*i Other similar species 

 are Pterophyllum kchncrscnianum Heer,"''' a Jurassic Siberian type, 

 Pterophyllum aq^tah Brongn., I f as figured by Nathorst from the 



* Oldham and Morris (63), pi. x. t il>i<^; pl- xiii., fig. 4. 



+ Ihid., pl. XV., fig. 4. § Ihid., tig. 1. 



II Ihid., fig. 2. *\ Ihid., fig. 3. 



** Heer (77), pl. xxv., fig. 5. tt Nathorst (7'J), pl. xv. 



