QUEKETT MICROSCOPICAL CLUB. 189 



of the modern Cycad type and Conifers. In appearance they 

 must have resembled the Conifers of the southern hemisphere, 

 such as the Kauri Pine. The interesting group of seed-bearing 

 ferns — Pteridospermae — was illustrated by a beautiful series of 

 slides from preparations of the fossil remains of Lyginodendron 

 Oldhamium. Eesearch during the last twenty-five years or so 

 has shown that many of the fossil plants of the coal measures 

 formerly accepted as ferns are now classed in this important group 

 of the Pteridosperms. The naked seeds were borne on the ulti- 

 mate divisions of the frond, which frond was very fern-like, and 

 resembled either gigantic bracken-fronds or those of the Eoyal 

 fern — Osmunda. This section of the lecture was brought to a 

 close by the exhibition of a series representing the impressions of 

 fossil plapits from the coal measures, including ferns. Dr. 

 Rodman emphasised the extreme importance of microscopic 

 research in palaeobotany and said the most important results 

 had been obtained of late years by this method. 



The faunal remains are not nearly so extensive, consisting of 

 mollusca, fishes, reptiles, and forms related to them. Photo- 

 graphs of Prolecanites compressus, goniatites and nautili, were 

 shown, a section of Goniatites listen showing a structure very 

 much resembling that of the nautilus of recent times. Then 

 followed slides of the jaw of a labyrinthodont, a section of a fossil 

 bone showing the detail remarkably preserved, and imprints of 

 fish scales, these latter showing very distinct evidence of the 

 alternating layers of growth which are now recognised as re- 

 cording the age of the fish or the number of times it has spawned. 

 Among the finest slides were a series of photographs of sections 

 of teeth of fossil fish, showing the structure very clearly. 



In conclusion, Dr. Eodman showed a few slides of sections of 

 recent plants for comparison with those of their fossil relations. 



In moving a vote of thanks to Dr. Rodman, Dr. Rendle said 

 that the plant remains found in the coal measures represented 

 only a very small part of the vegetation of the period. We found 

 remains of some plants growing by streams and in marshy places, 

 but we knew nothing of the highland flora. It was doubtful, he 

 said, if any of the so-called ferns of the coal measures were 

 really ferns at all. 



The meeting closed with a hearty vote of thanks to Dr. Rodman 

 for his interesting lecture. 



