260 Miscellaneous, 



striichire and characters of the sporiferous spiko known as Calamo- 

 stachys Binneyana, and also throw considerable light on the question 

 of its affinities. The Author fully describes the structure of the fossil, 

 and discusses its systematic position. His description shows the 

 close resemblance between the structure of this spike and that of 

 Equiseium ; and it is noted that Carruthers, in 1807, did not hesitate 

 to desciibe Calamostachys Binneyana as the fruit of Calamites, 

 and that Binney, when making it the fruit of Calamodendron 

 commune, was in practical agreement with Carruthers. AVilliam- 

 son, however, realizing the difficulty of reconciling the supposed 

 vascular central part of the axis of the spike with a Calamitean. 

 affinity, suggested that the relationship lies rather with the Lyco- 

 podiacete. Now the establishment in the present paper of the 

 existence ot parenchymatous pith in the axis of the spike removes 

 the chief ground for Williamson's suggestion ; and the demonstra- 

 tion of the existence of primary vascular bundles with carinal canals 

 affords positive proof of the closeness of its relationship with the 

 Calamitae. The Author gives reasons for concluding that there is 

 much probability that the fossil described in the paper is a spike of 

 a Calamites of the type of Arthropitys. 



A. " Notes on some Pennsylvanian Calamites." By W. S. 

 Gresley, Esq., F.G.S. 



The Author believes that a group of specimens from the Pottsville 

 conglomerate series demonstrates that the so-called Calamite-casts 

 in sandstone are not always to be regarded as casts of pith-cavity 

 only, but are often casts of the vascular cylinder as well ; also that 

 these specimens show that some Calamites, at all events, possessed 

 furrowed exteriors or harks. A specimen from the Pittston bed of 

 anthracite in the Wyoming basin also seems to suggest that the true 

 bark had not always a smooth exterior. 



A specimen from the same geological horizon as the last specimen, 

 and from a neighbouring locality, indicates a Calamite of gigantic 

 proportions. Another specimen, from the Pittsburgh bed, is re- 

 markable as showing two branch-scars not on, but below the nodes 

 of the Calamite. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



The Dates of Moore^s ' Lepidoptera Tndica.' 



To the Editors of the ' Annals and Magazine of Natural History.' 



Gentlemen, — The extreme importance of the exact dating of publi- 

 cations which contain new generic or specific names is now so 

 generally recognized that no apology is needed for bringing before 

 the notice of your readers a particularly gross case, whereby the 

 author eventually obtains six months or more priority over other 

 writers. The foolish practice of throwing away the wrappers of 

 separately published parts of a serial work, instead of binding them 

 np in place exactly as issued, is so common that those who pre-date 



