8 Weiss, PJdoem of Lepidophloios and Lepidodendron. 



Collection, and as occur in most other preparations of 

 Lepidophloios, as due to decay after the death of the plant 

 and previous to its mineralisation. It might be argued 

 that even if we have not in our specimens any evidence 

 of a lysigenous formation of glandular tissue as has been 

 suggested, yet some of the star-shaped groups of cells 

 may be of the nature of schizogenous ducts or passages. 

 To this it ma}' be answered that the central space in such 

 star-shaped groups is cellular, and not intercellular, as can 

 be seen from the occurrence in man}- groups of transverse 

 walls in all respects like those of other cells {see Fig. 2). 

 Nor is there in most cases any appearance of an accumula- 

 tion of secretion such as one would expect to find in a 

 tissue with a secretory function. 



It is a pity that we have no longitudinal sections 

 taken from this well-preserved block, for it would be most 

 interesting to ascertain the length and the course of the 

 larger sub-divided cells described above or of the central 

 cell of the star shaped groups. In less well preserved 

 specimens of LepidopJdoios the large lacunas in the 

 phloem region run for some considerable distance, as 

 figured by Seward, and certainly have there the appearance 

 of secretory sacs. But in all probability a number of 

 transverse walls have become absorbed away, and in 

 a specimen of LepidopJdoios in my possession septa are 

 seen at intervals either transverse or slightly oblique, and 

 indicating probably the boundary of the elements which, 

 in the imperfectly preserved specimens, have formed large 

 spaces by absorption of their walls. These septa are seen 

 in Fig. 5, where they are indicated by an asterisk. 



The breadth of these septa indicates that they ran 

 across the whole of one of the large lacuncX, and as these 

 lacunar arc not represented in size b)' an}- single elements, 

 we must assume that they corresponded, as I have in- 



