XV111 INTRODUCTION. 



FRANCE. 



Three species of Wealden plants are mentioned by Brongniart 

 from Beauvais l : 



Lonchopteris Mantelli, Brong. = Weichselia Mantelli (Brong.). 

 Pachypteris gracilis, Brong. =Sphenopteris Fittoni, sp. nov. 

 Brachyphyllum Gravesii, Brong. 



De Lapparent, in his " Traite de Geologic, " 2 refers to the 

 development of fresh - water infra - Cretaceous rocks south of 

 Beauvais in the Pays de Bray, and notes the occurrence of the 

 common English fossil Weichselia Mantelli (Brong.). 3 



GERMANY. 



Dunker's well-known Monograph, 4 which appeared in 1846, 

 deals exhaustively with the fresh- water formation of Northern 

 Germany, previously correlated by Hoffman with the English 

 Wealden. These rocks are comprised in a stretch of country 

 between Helmstadt and Bentheim, and are usually subdivided 

 into two members, the lower consisting of sandstones, etc., and 

 the upper of clay beds ; to the former the term Wealden or 

 Deister Sandstone (= Hastings Sands of English geologists) is 

 applied, and to the latter Weald Clay. The flora of these North 

 German beds is obviously of the same facies as the Wealden 

 of England, and no doubt of the same geological age. It should 

 be noticed, however, that in Pavlow and Lamplugh's Monograph, 5 

 to which reference has already been made, it is stated that the 

 beds in Germany spoken of as Wealden have little in common with 

 the typical Wealden of England. 



The next contribution to which attention needs to be called is 

 one from Ettingshausen in 1852 on the doubtful fossil Palceoxyris, 

 Brong., which is described at some length from the Deister beds 

 under the name of Palceolromelia Jugleri, Ett. 6 The mention of 

 Palaoxyris in this introductory sketch is not intended to imply 



1 Tableau, p. 107. 



2 1885, p. 1042 ; see also Passy, Descript. Geol. Seine-inf. p. 194. 



3 Saporta has recently recorded another species from the Lower Wealden of 

 Boulogne, Sphenopteris Delgadoi, ?Sap. = . Fittoni, sp. nov. Rev. gen. bot. 

 vol. v. p. 365, 1893, pi. iv. fig. 5. * Wealdenbildung. 6 p. 189. 



6 Abb., k.-k. geol. Eeicbs. vol. i. 1852, Abtb. iii. p. 1. 



