The President's Address. By Dukinfield H. Scott. 135 



stand, was accustomed to help him in his work as secretary. The 

 photograph was taken in 1888, when he was 52 and in full vigour. 

 The only time I met Eenault myself was five years later ; he then 

 already looked appreciably older. On that visit I found him just 

 emerging from his workshop, where he was evidently in the act of 

 preparing some of his fossil sections. He was exceedingly kind in 

 showing me the most interesting things in his collection, and I 

 remember he at once convinced me of the truth of one of his conclu- 

 sions, as to which we in England had been somewhat sceptical up to 

 that time, namely that the fossil named Astromyelon by Williamson 

 was really the root of Catamites (Eenault, 1885 and 1896). The 

 generous and candid treatment which I experienced on that occa- 

 sion at Eenault's hands was the more admirable, as he evidently 

 regarded me as an emissary from the enemy's camp, for I was then 

 working in conjunction, as a junior colleague, with Williamson, 

 his old rival and often his opponent. The position might have 

 been difficult, but Eenault happily possessed a sense of humour, 

 and any divergence there may have been on scientific questions 

 only added a certain piquancy to our personal relations. 



Eenault's work as a palreobotanist was far too extensive to be 

 dealt with as a whole within the limits of a Presidential address. 

 The most that can be attempted is to give a few illustrative 

 examples. 



As M. Zeiller points out, the work of Eenault falls naturally 

 into two divisions (Zeiller, 1904); the first embracing his investi- 

 gations of the higher fossil plants, more especially the structural 

 specimens from Palaeozoic strata, while the second was concerned 

 with fossil micro-organisms, Bacteria, Fungi, and the lower Algae, 

 and their action, especially in relation to the production of coal in 

 its various forms. 



The second perird coincides approximately with the last ten 

 years of his life; but the two lines of work overlapped, his re- 

 searches on the higher plants continuing to the last, concurrently 

 with the investigation of micro-organisms. 



I shall here limit my remarks almost wholly to the former, 

 which is more familiar to me, and is also, without question, of 

 more assured value. 



1. BOTRYOPTERIDE.E. 



Eenault's first palaeobotanical paper (dated 1868, but published 

 in 1869) is on a Pern-like petiole (Anachoropteris pulchra), from 

 the Upper Coal-Measures of Autun (Eenault 1868). He noted, 

 among other points, the presence of pitted elements in the wood — 

 a rare character among true Perns. Though of no great importance 

 in itself, this early work stands in close relation to one of his most 

 fertile lines of research. 



