chap, v Palaeobotany, 1860-1900 137 



joint work did not appear till 1886. It showed that the 

 group tends to connect the Cordaitae with lower forms, 

 and contained a wonderfully clear and minute account of 

 their anatomy. 



The classical work on the structure of silicified seeds, 

 which was published under Brongniart's name in 1881, 

 was done by him in collaboration with Renault, and owes 

 much of its value to the investigations of the latter. 



Other papers of less importance were numerous, and 

 bear testimony to Renault's assiduity and zeal as well as 

 to his wonderful skill. 



In the controversy on the question of the secondary 

 wood of Cryptogams, Renault was till the last years of 

 his life an earnest opponent of Williamson. This is hardly 

 to be wondered at, brought up as he was at the feet of 

 Brongniart and working with him for so many years. 

 He finally convinced himself, however, that Macrostachya, 

 one of the Calamarieae, possessed it, and he came to hold 

 the view that this group, together with the Sigillarieae, 

 were transitional between the Cryptogams and the Phanero- 

 gams. 



Though the work of Williamson and of Renault and his 

 collaborators dwarfed all other investigations from 1870 

 onwards, many others call for recognition during that 

 time : Hick and Seward in England, Saporta in France, 

 Stur and Ettingshausen in Austria, Solms-Laubach and 

 Feistmantel in Germany, Heer and Lesquereux in Switzer- 

 land, Etheridge in Australia, all made important contribu- 

 tions to science. In England a further impetus to the study 

 was given in 1892 by Williamson's association with Scott, 

 which was not only productive of very important results 

 during their collaboration, but led to Scott's own brilliant 

 researches and generalizations at the end of the last century, 

 and in the early years of the present one. It must add to 

 our appreciation of the services of Williamson, and of his 



