Miscellaneous. 273 



gives the name of Cardiocarpum ButterwortJdi, after its discoverer. 

 These seeds exhibit no specialized organ corresponding to the 

 lagenostome of Lagenostoma and other seeds described. The 

 pollen has passed Aown the long narrow micropyle into the 

 triangular space at its inner extremity, where it came into direct 

 contact with the endospermic membrane. It thus appears that 

 the seeds known by the name of Cardiocarpum have a very simple 

 organization, approximating somewhat closely to that of the ovules 

 of Jmiiperus, Callitris, and Welwitschia. 



Some small seeds, which appear to be identical with th^ Cardio- 

 carp)uin teneUum of Dawson, found in great numbers on slabs of 

 shale by Mr. John Smith, of Kilwinning, in Ayrshire, are de- 

 scribed. They were found in the upper Coal-measures near 

 Stonehouse in Lanarkshire. 



The last form noticed is a very cvu'ious winged seed from the 

 uppermost Coal-measures of Ardwick, at Manchester, and which 

 appears to have been a double seed, resembling in general form 

 the samara of an ash. It belongs to Brongniart's genus Polyp- 

 terospermum. 



The fact that large numbers of seeds of unmistakable flowering 

 plants exhibit very close resemblance to the ovules of Gymno- 

 spermous seeds is a veiy important one. Prof. Newberry has 

 obtained such seeds in America; M. Grand-Eury has done the 

 same thing in France ; and it now appears, that, though attention 

 has but very recently been drawn to the existence of the smaller 

 forms now described in the British Coal-measures, the discovery 

 of a considerable variety has already rewarded the researches of 

 the author and his auxiliary friends. There is ]io doubt that 

 further research will materially increase that number. The 

 question naturally arises, where are the Gymnospermous plants 

 to which these seeds belonged? Finding the latter in the thin 

 "upper-foot" coal-seam suggests that other remains of their parent 

 stems should also be found there. The Dadoxylons are the only 

 ones which exhibit any probability of such relationship. But 

 these have chiefly been found in the marine Ganister bed, which 

 underlies the upper-foot coal from which the majority of the seeds 

 have been derived, indicating that the Dadoxylons grew apart 

 from the Calamites and Lycopods abou}iding in the coal side by 

 side with the seeds. Time alone can solve these problems, as 

 well as others relating to the true homologies of some of the 

 structures contained within these seeds. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



On the Discovery of the Trigonia acuticostata (J/' Coy) in the Living 

 State. By F. M'Coy, Professor of Natural Science in Melbourne 

 University. 



To the Editors of the Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 

 Gentlemen, — The Admiralty Marine Surveyor for the Colony of 

 Victoria, Captain Stanley, has just sent me for the Public Museum 



