140 BENNETTITES. 



be better to retain Carruthers' generic name, and by the addition 

 of Cycadeoidea to indicate our incomplete knowledge of the 

 fructification. Cycadeoidea is employed, therefore, in the wider 

 sense of the term, including stems with a circular as well as an 

 elliptical transverse section. 



46628 (V. 3233 ! ). Figured by Carruthers, Trans. Linn. Soc. 

 vol. xxvi. 1870, pi. Ivii. fig. 3, as Bennettites Saxbt/anus. 



Length 21 cm. ; at one end the specimen shows the transverse 

 and polished section as represented in Carruthers' figure ; at the 

 opposite end the stem has been considerably worn. The varying 

 degrees of wearing in this specimen show remarkably well the 

 striking differences in appearance presented by the several surfaces 

 of cortical or woody tissue exposed to view. Carruthers calls 

 attention to the striking similarity "between these fossil stems 

 and the caudex of a tree fern" 2 ; the U-shaped petiolar bundles 

 shown in section on part of the specimen present a distinct 

 resemblance to the corresponding leaf-traces in fern stems. Brook 

 Point, Isle of Wight. Saxly Coll. 



V. 3234. Figured by Carruthers, loc. cit. pi. Ivii. fig. 4. 



The surface of the specimen shows fairly good sections of 

 petioles with numerous vascular bundles ; the portion represented 

 in Carruthers' figure shows the inner face of the wood, and a 

 radial section through the cortex in which the course of the 

 leaf-trace bundles is clearly seen. I am unable to detect any 

 difference between the present specimen and that bearing the 

 number 38360, which has been labelled by Carruthers Bennettites 

 Gibsonianus. In his definition of B. Saxbyanus, Carruthers speaks 

 of the petioles as subtriangular in section, whilst those of 

 B. Gibsonianus are described as subquadrangular. Each of the 

 above specimens shows both forms of petioles, and in other respects 

 there appear to be no real differences. 



V. 3235. Figured (in part) by Carruthers, loc. cit. pi. Ivii. fig. 7. 



The figure shows very clearly the form of the petiole bundles 



as seen in a tangential section of the cortex. The resemblance 



1 A second number recently added (1895). 



2 Carruthers, loc. cit. p. G96. 



