Brongn.) in Ciretnate Vernation. 735 
ing of scales with which they are bedecked, gave rise to the 
mistaken opinion that the fossils were Lycopods and the 
scales their leaves. 
A small specimen of Pec. arborescens, Schl. sp., in circinate 
vernation has been figured by Geinitz in his ‘ Verst. d. Stein- 
kohlenform. in Sachsen’ *. 
Sir C.J. F. Bunbury described a very curious fossil fern 
from the Sydney Coal-field, Cape Breton f, which showed por- 
tions of a frond in circination. 
This specimen beautifully exhibits numerous long scales 
on the rachis. Some of the lateral pinne are fully expanded ; 
but these, unfortunately, are not sutiiciently well preserved to 
enable one to determine the species to which the fern belongs. 
Bunbury regarded it asa Fecopteris standing in the neigh~ 
bourhood of P. plumosa, Brongn. 
From the scales on the rachis Mr. R. Brown, who found 
the specimen, “ supposed it to belong to a peculiar species of 
Lepidodendron”’ t; but there can remain no doubt as to the 
fossil being a fern referable to Spdropteris. 
The same writer in 1857 § figured and described a specimen 
of Neuropteris (probably, as suspected by the author, Neur. 
gigantea, Sternb.) circinately coiled, from Glodwick Colliery, 
near Oldham, Lancashire. 
Examples of Neuropterts in this condition are even more 
rare than those of Pecopteris. 
The figure which accompanies his paper shows a very per- 
fect example with the usual accompanying scales on the 
rachis. 
Mr. T. Stock has shown me a small circinate specimen of 
Neuropteris from the Coal-measures near Dysart, Fife ; but 
this one probably belongs to N. Loshii, Brongn., as it was 
associated with that fern. 
In the ‘Illustrations of Fossil Plants,’ which consists of a 
reproduction of a number of unissued plates prepared by 
Lindley and Hutton for their ‘Fossil Flora,’ three good figures 
of Spiropteris are given ||. 
- Plates xlv. and xlvii. are referable to Neuropteris, but of 
that on pl. xlvi. the genus is uncertain{. 
* p. 24, pl. xxviii. f. 10 (1855). 
+ Diliat. Journ. Geol. Soc. vol. viii. p. 31, pl. i. (1852). 
t Ibid. vol. viii. p. 82. 
§ Bunbury, “On a remarkable Specimen of Newropteris, with Remarks 
on the Genus,’ Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. vol. xiv. p. 243. 
| Edited by G. A. Lebour, Newcastle-on-Tyne, 1877. 
q See Crépin, Révision de quelques espéces figurées dans l’ouvrage 
_ intitulé “Illustrations of Fossil Plants,’ Soc, roy. de botanique de Bel- 
_ gique, vol. xx. part ii. p. 25 (1881). . 
3 6 
