

Genus Pothocites, Pater son. 299 



habitats also favours the idea of it belonging to this class of 

 plants." 



Dr. Paterson, in an earlier part of his paper, expresses his 



opinion that his specimen belonged to the class of parasitic 

 plants. 



He also directs special attention " to a slight enlargement 



of the stem abruptly broken off, very similar, in fact, to what 



we see in twigs from which the leaves have fallen off, and is 



evidently to be referred to the remains of a deciduous leaf or 

 spatha"*. 



In regard to the stellate bodies, situated in longitudinal 



rows on the spike, he further says j", " When viewed with a 



k lens, these .small bodies are seen crowned with from four to 



five (generally four) ovoid and obtuse projections, with 



elevated edges ; these assume a quadrangular appearance, and 



give the idea of a germen or capsule, crowned with four or 



five obtuse angles. The central depression, to which the 



flowering part of the plant had been attached, is also distinctly 

 to be seen." 



The view held by Dr. Paterson that this plant " either 

 belonged to an extinct species of the genus PothoSj or to some 

 extinct genus of plants very closely allied to it," was at the 

 time supported by Mr, M ; Nab, of the Botanic Gardens, Dr. 

 Greville, and many other gentlemen. 



Prof. Henslow, who also examined the specimen, thought 

 it was probably related to Potamogeton or Pothos. He con- 

 ceived that the spadix was continuous and not jointed, the 

 apparent joints being the result of compression. He could 

 not see any evidence of ribs, and was u unable to determine 

 the exact nature of the quadrifarious arrangement, whether 

 the parts are calyx-scales, or seed-valves "J. 



In the following description of this specimen some points 

 will be noticed in which, I believe, Dr. Paterson has been de- 

 ceived by certain appearances in his fossil. 



This view as to the affinity of Pothodtes has been accepted 

 by Mr. Carruthers, Prof. Balfour, and others §. 



Prof. Williamson, however, has expressed some doubt as 

 to the systematic position of the plant. In a lecture on 



* L. c. p. 46. t Ibid t L. c. p. 52, note. 



§ Carruthers, " On Fossil Plants,'' delivered to the Geologists' Associa- 

 tion as Presidential Address, Nov. 5, 1875 ; u The Testimony of Fossil 

 Botany in reference to the Doctrine of Evolution/' Presidential Ad- 

 dress, delivered to the Geologists' Association, Nov. 3, 167G; "Notes on 

 some Fossil Plants," Geol. Mag. vol. ix. 1872. 



Balfour, 'Introduction to the Study of Paheontological Botany,' 



p. 66 < Edinb. 1872). 



Geikie, « Text-book of Geology/ p. 732 (1882). 



21* 





