Freshxoater Fossils from Central South Africa. 245 



Whorls of about eight branchlets. Branchlats from about 

 •25-*4 mm. in diameter, fully corticato-cortex diplosticiious. 

 Points of meeting of upward series well shown. No braiichlet 

 nodes apparent. 



Stipulodes doubtful whetlier haplostephanous or diplo- 

 stephanous, only one series seen, bistipulate. Two vvell- 

 developod, cylindrical, acuminate stipulodes clearly shown, 

 directed upwards, wliich are on the stem node. 



Fruit about '15 mm. in lenc;th and about '45 mm. in 

 diameter (PI. VIII. fig. 5). Spiral cells showing about thir- 

 teen convolutions. Apparently a full-grown fruit, somewhat 

 crushed in the upper part. A microscopical preparation of 

 this rock exhibits a. good median section of an oogonium with 

 the oospore outlined therein. Dimensions of the oogonium 

 about 1*125 mm. long and '7 mm. broad. Convolutions 

 apparently from twelve to thirteen, but these can only be 

 estimated, as the cells are obscure at both ends. Dimensions 

 of oospore (probably shrunken) about- '70 mm. long and 

 "35 mm. broad. In size of oogonium and number of convo- 

 lutions this corresponds approximately to Chara hispida among 

 living species. There are several good transverse sections of 

 stems about "4 mm. thick, the cortex evidently diplostichous, 

 the number of cells being about fourteen, and the alternation 

 of primary and secondary series being in some cases indi- 

 cated by a considerable difference in the diameter (PL VIII. 

 figs. 8, 9). 



Stratigraphy. 



These obscure fossiliferous remains are of so restricted a 

 character that they present little evidence as to their geolo- 

 gical age. Although representing the fiist fossils from the 

 Matabeleland deposit, as stated by Mr. Maufe, it is of interest 

 to note that Dr. A. W. Rogers* has referred to a similar 

 occurrence in the " Surface quartzites " of Cape Colony (near 

 Komgha Village, N. of East London), which have yielded 

 silicified seeds of Chara associated with silicified shells of 

 Lirnncea, and regarded as of Tertiary age. Again, minute 

 Chara fruits occur in a hard cream-coloured limestone which 

 Mr. Beadnell discovered some years since in the Northern 

 Faytim of Egypt, a small fragment of which is in the Geolo- 

 gical Department of the British Museum. It was collected 

 when Mr. Beadnell was on the staff of tiie Geological {Survey 

 of Egypt, being included iii his manuscript list of fossils from 



* 'An Introduction to the Geology of Cape Colony,' 1905, p. 300; 

 and second edition, 1909, p. .'581. 



