INTRODUCTION. I XXV 



Browne (1886) discusses the loose and rather incorrect use of 

 the term Neocomian in Britain, and points out that the Lower 

 Greensand, as represented by the Folkestone, Sandgate, and 

 Hythe beds, is the equivalent of the French Aptien, and he 

 proposes to change Fitton's name to Vectian. The Atherlield 

 Clay he shows to be the equivalent of the Khodanien. A very 

 similar classification was proposed by Gregory in 1895. 



H. B. Woodward 1887, Jukes-Browne & Topley 1888, Prest- 

 wich 1888, Lamplugh 1889, Pavlov 1889, Jukes-Browne 1891, 

 Pavlov & Lamplugh 1892, Gregory 1895, Lamplugh 1896, 

 Jukes-Browne 1902, Geikie 1903, Lamplugh & Walker 1903, 

 "Whi taker 1908, and Jukes-Browne 1911, have all contributed 

 to our knowledge of the English Lower Greensaud. 



In conclusion, I have pleasure in recording thanks for much 

 valuable help received during the progress of this work. I am 

 especially indebted to Mr. J. H. Allchin, Curator of the Maid- 

 stone Museum, who has charge of so many interesting fossils 

 from the Lower Greensand, and has arranged with the Com- 

 mittee of the Maidstone Museum both for the loan of specimens 

 and for the gift of some portions and microscope-slides of new 

 type-specimens to the British Museum (Nat. Hist.). To his 

 assistant, Mr. Elgar, I owe several photographs noted in the 

 descriptions, which they are used to illustrate. During visits 

 to Maidstone I received much help from Mr. Allchin and 

 Mr. Elgar ; and I also had the pleasure of seeing the quarries 

 in the Kentish Hag with Mr. W. H. Bensted (son of Mr. W. H. 

 Bensted so often referred to in the Catalogue), who revived early 

 memories of the finding of some of the important specimens. 

 To Mr. L. A. Boodle, of Kew, and to Prof. F. W. Oliver, of 

 University College, my special thanks are due for their kind 

 examination of some of the fossils, for their valuable advice, 

 and for the loan of slides of existing plants for comparison. 

 To Dr. F. L. Kitchin and Mr. H. A. Allen I am indebted for 

 much help in examining the Lower Greensand plant-remains 

 in the Museum of Practical Geology. Dr. D. H. Scott and Prof. 

 A. C. Seward have lent me the original slides of Cupressinoxylon 

 vectense, and Dr. C. A. Barber kindly allowed me to use his 

 exhaustive MS. notes on this fossil. Dr. E. A. Newell Arber 

 favoured me with information about type-specimens, and 



