Miacellanoous. 27.'5 



gives the name of Canliocarpum Btiit^nvorthll, after its discoverer. 

 These seeds exhibit no specialized organ corresponding to the 

 lagenostome of I^u/i'nostoniu and other seeds described. Tlie 

 pollen has passed down the long narrow micropyle into the 

 triangular space at its inner extremity, where it came into direct 

 contact with the endospermic membrane. It thus appears that 

 the seeds known by the name of CunliocdrjuDn have a very simple 

 organi/jition. approximating somewhat closely to that of the ovules 

 of JuniperxK, Cutlifri-^, and Wrlivitxchia. 



Some small seeds, which appear to be identical with the Curdio- 

 carpum ttnc/lnm of Daw son, found in great mimbers on slabs of 

 shale by Mr. John .*^mith, of Kilwinning, in Ayrshire, are de- 

 scrilKHl. They were found in the upper Coal-measures near 

 iStonehouse in Lanarkshire. 



The last form noticed is a \ery curious winged seed from the 

 uppermost Coal-measures of Ardwick, at Manchester, and which 

 appears to have been a double seed, resembling in general form 

 the samara of an ash. It belongs to Brongniart's genus Puhjp- 

 terospennum. 



The fact that large numbers of seeds of unmistakable flowering 

 plants exhibit very close resemblance to the ovules of Gymno- 

 spernious seeds is a very important one. Prof. Newberry has 

 obtained such seeds in America : M. Grand-Eury has done the 

 same thing in J'rance ; and it now appears that, though attention 

 has but very recently been draw n to the existence of the smaller 

 forms now descril)ed in the British Coal-measures, the discovery 

 of a considerable variety has already rewarded the researches of 

 the author and his auxiliary friends. There is no doubt that 

 further research will materially increase that number. The 

 question naturally arises, where are the Gymnospermous plants 

 to which these seeds belonged? Finding the latter in the thin 

 "upper-foot" coal-seam suggests that other remains of their parent 

 stems should also be found there. The Dadoxylons are the only 

 ones which exhibit any probability of such relationship. But 

 these have chiefly been found in the marine Ganister bed, which 

 underlies the upper-foot coal from which the majority of the seeds 

 have been derived, indicating that the Dadoxylons grew apart 

 from the Calamites and Lycopods abounding in the coal side by 

 side with the seeds. Time alone can solve these problems, as 

 well as others relatuig to the true homologies of some of the 

 structures contained within these seeds. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



On the Discovery of the Trigonia acuticostata (M'Cojf) in the Living 

 State. V>y F. M'Cor, Professor of Natural Science in Melbourne 

 University. 



To tlu! Editors of the Anuals and Magazine of Natural Jlistori/. 



(iKNTLEMEy, — Thc Admiralty Marine Surveyor for the Colony of 

 Victoria, Captain Stanley, has just sent me for the Public Museum 



