THE CLUB-MOSSES 155 



part only poorly and doubtfully represented, 

 but there was a great mass of somewhat simply 

 organised Ferns, showing affinities in various 

 directions, and probably representing the com- 

 mon stock from which most of our living tribes 

 of Ferns have diverged. This common stock 

 was itself, however, extremely varied, and only 

 relatively simple. 



It may be hoped that future research will 

 enable us to some extent to unravel the very 

 tangled relations between these Paleozoic Fern- 

 groups and the great families of "Seed-bearing 

 Ferns" which had a common origin with them 

 in some more remote past. 



CHAPTER VI 



THE EVOLUTION OF THE HIGHER SPORE- 

 PLANTS THE CLUB-MOSSES 



THE Fern-series is of the utmost interest from 

 its relation to the main line of descent of the 

 Seed-plants. Apart from this consideration, the 

 past history of the Ferns themselves presents 

 little that is remarkable. The Palaeozoic Ferns, 

 in so far as they were true Ferns at all, seem to 

 have been much the same sort of plants as their 

 living representatives. There were lofty Tree- 



