CANADIAN rOSSILS. 



*■* 



ment, I fear, cannot bo received aa either natural or convenient. The name 

 Palceopteria has been pre-occupied by Goinitj for certain trunks of treo 

 ferns, two of which, P. Ilartii and P. Acadica occur in the Carboniferous 

 of Britiah America.* The genus as proposed includes two very distinct 

 type?, both highly characteristic of tho Devonian, tho one with closely act 

 pinnato leaves, dccurrcnt on the rhaohis, represented by 0. Ifibcrnica and 

 C. Jachoni, the other with clustered pinnules potiohito or attached by a 

 narrow base and with ilabcllato venation, represented by C. obtiisu and 

 Booksldi. For this last typo, roprccontod in the Lower Carboniferous 

 by niy Oyolopteris Aca'Ucd, I proposed long ago tho generic name Anei- 

 mite.sj ; and thougli I observe that Schiiopcr haj proposed for other ferns 

 the aubgcncric names An, itiiioiles and Andtuidimnl still desire to retain 

 this name on the ground botli of priority and of probably correct botanical 

 affinity. For tho other type, I must, for the reasons above stated, reject 

 equally the namoy Noeggerathia, Adiantllits and Palceopteria^ and as a 

 term aocms ahnolutely neccojary to dcdignato thcao plants, I wuidd niodify 

 Schiuiper'a JiaiQO which ia well-adapted to express tho fact of tho antiquity 

 of tlioso plants, by changing it into Archteopteris. 



I must hero also correct some errors as to American spociea into which 

 Bcliiniper has fallen. My Cycloptcris validi he refers to two distinct 

 genera (quotuig the same figure and description in both places). At p. 

 402 of his work it is an Aneimioidea, and at p. 480, it is a Triphgllopteris. 

 The first is correct as to name, as the plant would go into my genus A7U'i- 

 mite8, but it is placed with other ferns not allied to it, and separated from 

 those more nearly akin to it. Sphenopteris laxa of Hall ho also quotes 

 in two places, in the one case identifying it correctly with C. HalUana, 

 Goeppert ; in tho other incorrectly with 0, Hibcrnica. Nocyjerathia 

 ( Cycloptcris) obtusa of Lesquoreux he also identifies quite incorrectly with 

 C. Hibcrnica ; and he gives Q, Jacksoni as a synonyia of 0. HalUana, dis- 

 regarding the diagnoses given in my papers, J from inspection of the 

 original specimens, and which fully separate the three aUiod American 

 Bpocies, '0. Halliana, Q. Jacksoni, and 0. Jiugerai. 



Having cleared away these errors, I may now give tho provisional 

 arrangement which I would propose for this /;roup of ferns, as follows : 



Sub-genus 1st. Archacopteria, Dawson. Typo A. Hibernica. In Amer- 

 ica, A. HalUana, A. Jackaoni, A. Rogerai. 



Sub-genus 2d. Aneimitea, Dawson, typo A. Aoadioa. In America 

 A. obtuaa, A. Bockshii, A. valida. The latter connects this typo with the 

 broad-leaved Sphcnopterida. ^ i. ^, 



• J. G. S., XXII, 159. t J. G. S., XVII, 6. | J. G. S., XVUI & XIX. 



