132 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



The sporangia appear to be usually developed in groups of 

 three, situated at the upper extremity of the veins, so that 

 they become marginal in position (fig. 10). Sometimes, 

 however, they are produced singly, as in fig. 11 ; but such 

 cases are rare. I have not observed any sporangia situated 

 in the sinuses ; they are placed in the little lobes or teeth of 

 the pinnules. The imperfect manner in which Lesquereux's 

 specimen appears to be preserved may have led to this 

 slight mistake in his description. The sporangia are oval in 

 outline, and about -^\ of an inch wide in their greatest 

 diameter. Most of them show a marginal border ; and in 

 one individual (fig. 14) the cells composing it appear to 

 lie at an oblique angle to those forming the large central 

 part ; but whether this border is a true annulus or only a 

 mechanically-produced simulation of that structure I am 

 unable to decide. 



Grand'Eury * describes the fruit of Sphenopteris choero- 

 phylloideSy the sporangia of which appear to be very similar 

 to those under consideration. In reference to his specimen, 

 however, he states that the sporangia were not provided 

 with an annulus. He seems inclined to regard Bph. 

 chceropliylloides as a transitional form between Schizcea and 

 Marattia. 



As regards Sphenopteris microcarpa, I think the character 

 of the fruit points to affinities with the Osmundaceae, and it is 

 probably most closely related to the genus Todea. This 

 species is widely distributed in the Coal Measures of Scot- 

 land. 



I am indebted to Mr James Bennie for the pleasure of 

 examining the fruited specimen, which was collected by him 

 at Blairpoint, near Dysart, Fife. Mr Thomas ISTaismith has 

 also kindly shown me the same plant from Mount Vernon, 

 Lanarkshire ; and I have met with it at Sauchie, near Alloa, 

 Clackmannanshire, and near Dollar, on the borders of Perth- 

 shire. 



None of the Carboniferous ferns, which from time to time 

 have been obtained in fruit, appear to be referable to existing 

 genera. Though in many cases they approach very closely, 



* " Flore Carbonifere du departement de la Loire." Paris, 1877. 



