68 FEILDENTA [CH. 



may be allied to Czekanowskia rigida, such evidence as is available 

 points to a maximum development of Czekanowskia in the Jurassic- 

 period. 



FEILDENIA. Heer. 



In 1870 Heer 1 described some small linear leaves from Tertiary 

 strata in Spitzbergen for which he proposed the generic name 

 Torellia, denning it as follows : ' Folia rigida coriacea, basin versus 

 angustata, articulata, tenuiter costata, costis interstitiisque sub- 

 tilissime stria tis.' On the discovery by Capt. Feilden of additional 

 specimens in Miocene beds in Grinnell Land (81 46' N.) Heer 

 published a further account of the genus and substituted Feildenia 

 for Torellia because of the previous use of the latter name by 

 Zoologists. Heer compared Feildenia with Podocarpus, Amucaria, 

 and other Conifers but, mainly because of the occurrence of a 

 leaf with a lobed lamina, he provisionally included the genus in 

 the Taxineae 2 . The leaves are usually found as detached speci- 

 mens but in one case several are spirally disposed on a stout axis 

 and one imperfect example shows at the base what appears to be 

 a scale-leaf, suggesting that leaves were also borne on short shoots 

 like those of Phoenicopsis and Czekanowskia. Heer lays stress 

 on the ribbing and striation of the surface of the lamina as dis- 

 tinguishing features between Feildenia and Phoenicopsis, but 

 Nathorst 3 , in his revision of the genus, expresses the opinion that 

 it is only in the tendency to a sickle-like form and a feeble expansion 

 of the slightly curved base that Feildenia, at best an ill-defined 

 genus, can be distinguished from Phoenicopsis. 



Feildenia rigida Heer. 



This species, from Miocene beds of Spitzbergen 4 and Grinnell 

 Land 5 , is represented by linear leaves 6 8 cm. long and 5 8 mm. 

 broad at the widest part, usually rather nearer the apex than the 

 base ; the lamina is often slightly falcate and tapers gradually to 

 a narrow base. There are 8- -11 veins for the most part parallel 

 but occasionally feebly convergent at the bluntly rounded apex. 



1 Heer (71) iii. p. 44. 2 Heer (78) i. p. 20. 



3 Nathorst (97), p. 55. 



4 Heer (71) Li. p. 44, PI. vi. figs. 312; PI. xvi. fig. 1 b. 



5 Heer (78) i. p. 20, Pis. I., n., vra. 



