An Eocene Microthyriaceous Fungus from Mull, Scotland. 7% 
it should be noted that the Mull leaves are not so acuminate, 
The identification even of leafy coniferous twigs is not easy, so 
that the attribution of detached leaves must be very uncertain. 
In the present instance, however, the cuticle preparations show 
to some extent the structure of the stomata, and these were 
kindly examined for me by Miss H. Bandulska, who made a 
series of comparative measurements. She believes that the 
stomata were of a type found in Sequoia sempervirens and some 
species of Avaucaria and Podocarpus, the greatest resemblance 
being to those of Podocarpus melangianus. The host plant of 
Phragmothyrites eocaenica may therefore possibly be a Podo- 
carpus. The question of its stomatal structure and identity will 
be dealt with more fully in another place. No other leaves from 
Mull yield cuticles, with the exception of Ginkgo adiantoides Ung. 
on which no traces of fungi have been found. 
The presence of this epiphyllous fungus would seem to indicate 
fairly moist conditions of growth. The living Microthyriaceae 
are mainly tropical, but rainfall rather than temperature would 
appear to be the important factor influencing distribution. 
Arnaud (1918, p. 31, etc.) asserts that “asterinoid”’ fungi are 
confined to parts of the globe with more than one metre of 
rainfall per annum. Prof. A. C. Seward and Mr R. E. Holttum, 
who kindly allowed me access to a forthcoming paper on the 
Mull fossil plants, consider that the flora indicates a temperate 
climate, but warmer than that of the present day in the same 
latitude, and they speak of the possible presence of evergreen 
shrubs as another indication of a warm, fairly moist climate. 
They see no reason to modify Gardner’s opinion that the beds 
are of Lower Eocene age. 
In conclusion we may note that very few living species of 
Microthyriaceae have been recorded from Great Britain. 
BIBLIOGRAPHY. 
ARNAUD, G.—Les Astérinées. Théses présentées a la faculté des sciences de 
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Crif, L.—Recherches sur la Végétation de l'Ouest de la France a l’Epoque 
Tertiaire. Thése présentée a la faculté des sciences. Paris, 1878. 
DEsMAzIERES, J. B. H. J.—Huitiéme Notice sur quelques plantes Cryptogames. 
Ann. Sci. Nat. sér. 11, Xv (Bot.), pp. 129-146, 1841. 
DoipceE, E. M.—South African Microthyriaceae. Trans. Roy. Soc. South 
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ENGELHARDT, H. and KINKELIN, F.—Oberpliocéne Flora und Fauna des 
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