288 Tra n sac tio n s . — Geolorjij . 



Gleichenia (Mertensia) obscura, sp. nov. 

 Plate XXX., figs. 7, la. 



G. pinnis clom-jatis pinnatifidis, pvmulls lineari-laticeoiati&r^ 

 integerrimis ; nervationc Alcthoptcridis, ncrvo prhnario promi- 

 nente, recto ; nervis secundariis numcrosis, furcatis. 



Locality : Pakawau, Nelson (Canterbury Museum i. [Ex 

 Coll. N.Z. Geol. Surv. ; Hector.] 



A fragment of a pinnate frond imperfectly preserved, which 

 ]nust have beeii laid aside a,s indeterminable had it not been 

 tliat it was possible to discover a few characteristics, which 

 just enabled rae to determine the genus. The fragment 

 shows a stout spindle of the pinna, from which we may 

 conclude that it belonged to the lower part of a long pinna, 

 which up to the spindle is pinnatifid ; the small pinnae are 

 remarkably narrow, almost linear, with an unbroken edge, 

 traversed by a T)i"onounced primary nerve, from which the 

 very line secondary nerves start, which are close together, 

 and are branched in a fork-like manner (see the enlargement 

 of the nervation, fig. 7a). The characteristics mentioned agree 

 very remarkably with the frond of Gleichenia {Mertensia) 

 dabellata, Desv., a fern which is indigenous to Australia. 



Among the fossil Filiccs, approaches most closely to our 

 species Gleichenia {Mertensia) rigida, Heer, from the Kome 

 strata. 



PHANEEOGAM^. 



GYMNOSPEEM^]. 

 CONIFER^.. 

 Abietine^j. 

 Dammara mantelli, sp. nov. 



Plate XXX., fig. 20. 



D. foliis suhoppositis , coriaceis, patentibus, approximatis, 

 ovato-lanceolatis, basi angiistata sessilibus, apicc acuviinatis, 

 enerviis. 



Localitu : Pakawau, Nelson (Canterbury Museum). [Ex 

 Coll. N.Z. "Geol. Surv.; Hector.] 



The fragment of a branch (fig. 20) bears ovi-lanceolate 

 leaves, which stand almost opposite each other, have an un- 

 broken edge, and become gradually narrower towards the top, 

 ixxid which stand out from the branch-spindle almost at right 

 angles. The leaves betray a leathery texture, but there is no 

 nervation whatever beyond many fine parallel stripes. The 

 similarity of this fossil to Dammara australis, Lamb, -which 

 at the present time is spread over eastern Australia and New 

 Zealand — is so great that I almost venture to ascribe it to 

 the living species. 



I name this species after Waltek Mantell, in recogTii- 

 tion of his deserving geological works about New Zealand. 



