PRESENT POSITION OF PALEOZOIC BOTAN Y—SCOTT. 387 
Ferns of the Paleozoic period, though “they were probably hoe 
entirely absent, occupied*an altogether subordinate rank.” 
The ground for the radical change of view which Professor 
Zeiller’s words indicate is, of course, to be found in the recognition 
of the Pteridosperms, a class of seed-bearing plants, to which, as it 
now appears, the great majority of the supposed Paleozoic Ferns 
belonged. Professor Zeiller further points out that the reduction in 
the number of true Ferns becomes more marked the earlier the period 
to which we go back; the Westphalian Flora is already less rich in 
true Ferns than the Stephanian, and one may almost raise the ques- 
tion whether, in the epochs of the Culm and the Devonian, Ferns 
really existed. Mr. Kidston, writing a few months later, finds no 
evidence of “ true Ferns ” below the Middle Coal Measures, and comes 
to the conclusion that the Cycadofilices (Pteridosperms) “ long ante- 
dated the advent of true Ferns.” It may be pointed out, however, 
that under the name “ true Ferns ” Mr. Kidston does not include the 
Botryopteridex, which, as he himself recognizes, are certainly rep- 
resented in Lower Carboniferous rocks. This family, in fact, has 
come to occupy an important position, for in the present state of our 
knowledge it represents: the best-attested group of Paleozoic Ferns. 
Almost all the well-known and striking genera of Fern-like fronds 
have now come under suspicion, and cannot be accepted as affording 
in themselves any evidence for the existence of Ferns, as distingushed 
from Fern-like Spermophyta. The presence of seeds has been actu- 
ally demonstrated in members of the genera Sphenopteris, Neuropte- 
ris, Aneimites, and Pecopteris; the evidence is almost equally con- 
vineing in the case of Alethopteris; in numerous other genera, such 
as E'remopteris, Odontopteris, Linopteris, and Lonchopteris, all the 
indications are in favor of seeds having been borne, though at present 
there may not be much beyond association to guide us. It is highly 
probable that some of these form genera are purely artificial associa- 
tions, which include Ferns as well as Fern-like seed plants; in Pecop- 
teris especially, while one species, P. Pluckeneti, undoubtedly bore 
seeds, as Grand ’Eury has shown, many others show the well-known 
fructifications commonly regarded as those of Marattiaceous Ferns. 
Even in the latter cases, however, the question is not free from 
difficulty, for recent work has proved that some of the supposed 
Marattiaceous fructifications were in reality the microsporangia of 
Pteridosperms. 
PRIMOFILICES, 
The family Botryopteridex on present evidence appears to have 
been representative of a comparatively simple type of Filicineex, of 
great antiquity. Whether we call them “true Ferns” or not is im- 
material; they certainly do not belong to any of the existing families, 
though they show relations to them in various directions, 
. 
