On the Affinities 0/ Archfeopteris hibernica, Forhcs. 517 



a few other localities, this fern is one of the most character- 

 istic fossils. 



In 1858 ^ Mr W. H. Baily, in describing the fructification 

 of Archceoptcris Jdhernica, Forbes, sp., said that " one of the 

 fertile pinnules of a specimen showed the spores were 

 aggregated into clusters of sori, and that the indusium or 

 protecting cover had been but little broken up. A fertile 

 pinnule from another specimen, however, appeared to be 

 in a more advanced stage, losing in a great measure the 

 aggregated character of the sori, and showing the protecting 

 cases (which were granulated) to be much disturbed. 



" Other specimens in the collection were alluded to, one 

 of which, with a length of 16 inches, had 12 pinnules on 

 each side of the rachis in full fructification without any 

 appearance of leaflets, the spore-cases being scattered in all 

 directions ; another of the same length had about twenty 

 pinnules on each side, the lower ones being in full fructifica- 

 tion, which decreased gradually towards the upper portion of 

 the frond, the leaflets taking its place." 



At the same time Mr Baily exhibited a diagram illustrating 

 " what was considered to be the base of the stem or rhizoma, 

 having a rounded expansion, apparently separating into 

 scales which continued upwards, fragments of leaflets being 

 attached to the stem at different intervals." 



Schimper, in 1869, ^ figured and described Cyclopteris 

 hihernica, Forbes, under the name of Falceopteris hibernica. 

 In describing the fruiting pinnules he says : " These have 

 undergone a complete metamorphosis, and are transformed 

 into groups in which all foliar expansion has entirely 

 disappeared, and which show a principal rachis not at all 

 represented in the sterile pinnules which are destitute of a 

 medial nerve." He also describes the sporangia as clavate 

 costate (" soris (sporangiis ?) costulatis "). He gives an 

 enlarged drawing of the sporangia at pi. xxxvi., fig. 4. 



More recently Mr Carruthers redescribed the fruit of this 

 fern.^ Among other things he says : — " In some specimens 



^ Brit. Assoc. Report, 1858, p. 75. 



" Traite d. paleout. veget, vol. i., p. 475, pi. xxxvi. 



3 Geol. Mag., vol. ix., No. 2, Feb. 1872. 



