240 BRYOPHYTA. [CH. 



resemblance to the fossil form. The type-specimen was found in 

 the Coal-Measures of Commentry, and is now in the Museum of 

 the J^cole des Mines in Paris ; the figure given by MM. Renault 

 and Zeiller faithfully represents the appearance of the plant. 



It has been suggested^ that some small twigs figured by 

 Lesquereux''' from the Coal-Measures of North America as 

 Lycopodites Meeki Lesq., may possibly be mosses. The speci- 

 mens do not appear to be at all convincing, and cannot well 

 be included as probable representatives of Palaeozoic Musci. 

 Lycopodites Meeki Lesq. bears a close resemblance to the 

 recent Selaginella Oregana shown in fig. 48, C. 



From Mesozoic rocks we have no absolutely trustworthy 

 fossil mosses. The late Prof Heer^ has quoted the occurrence 

 of certain fossil Caterpillars in Liassic beds as indicative of 

 the existence of mosses, but evidence of this kind cannot be 

 accepted as scientifically sound. In 1850 Buckman^ described 

 and figured a few fragments of plants from a freshwater lime- 

 stone at the base of the Lias series near Bristol. Among 

 others he described certain specimens as examples of a fossil 

 Monocotyledon, under the generic name Najadita. Mr Starkie 

 Gardner^ subsequently examined the specimens, and suggested 

 that the Lias fragments referred to Najadita should be com- 

 pared with the recent freshwater moss Fontinalis. In this 

 opinion he was supported by Mr Carruthers and Mr Murray of 

 the British Museum. In a footnote to the memoir in which 

 this suggestion is made, Gardner refers to a moss-capsule from 

 the same beds, which he had received from Mr Brodie. Through 

 the kindness of the latter gentleman, I have had an opportunity 

 of examining the supposed capsule, and have no hesitation in 

 describing it as absolutely indeterminable. It is in the form of 

 an irregularly oval brown stain on the surface of the rock, with 

 the suggestion of a stalk at one end, but there are no grounds 

 for describing the specimen as a moss-capsule, or indeed anything 

 else. The type-specimens figured by Brodie and subsequently 

 referred to a moss are now in the British Museum; they are 



1 Solms-Laubach (91) p. 186. 2 Lesquereux (79) PI. lxii. fig. 1. 



3 Heer (65) p. 89. ^ Buckman (50) 1. ^ Gardner (86) p. 203. 



