300 • Mr. K. Kidston on the Affinities of the 



" Primaeval Vegetation in relation to Natural Selection and 

 Evolution " he says, " It is also necessary to state further that 

 the Coal-measures reveal some other remarkable stems, the 

 exact relations of which are not yet fully ascertained." Then 

 in a footnote he adds, " This is especially in reference to the 

 Lyginodendra, Nceggeratliice, and to the curious ^ Pothocites 

 Grantonii, which latter is supposed by some botanists to be a 

 monocotyledonous Angiosperm ; this, however, appears doubt- 

 ful. The genus Antholithes ■, from the Coal-measures, was 

 regarded as a dicotyledonous Angiosperm allied to Orobanche ; 

 but this idea is now abandoned, and the plant is now referred 

 to the group of Gymnospermous exogens. I expect that 

 further research will lead to some similar change in regard 

 to Pothocites " •. 



Description of Specimens. 

 Pothocites Grantoniij Paterson. (PL IX. figs. 1-5.) 



Pothocites Grantonii, Paterson, Trans. Bot. Soc. Edinb. vol. i. p. 45, 

 pi. iii. (1841). 



The full length of the specimen is rather less than 4| in- 

 ches ; of this the remains of the spike occupy 2-nj inches. This 

 latter part consists of two complete segments and a portion of 

 a third. Each internodal portion f of the fruit shows six 

 longitudinal rows of stellate bodies , placed on slightly elevated 

 ridges. It is difficult to determine definitely the original 

 number of these vertical elevations, as the specimen is much 

 compressed, and those towards the margins of the fruit are 

 crushed together ; but probably there were on the complete 

 circumference ten such elevated ridges, bearing the stellate 

 bodies ; of course only five or six are exposed in the speci- 

 men. The two marginal rows are imperfectly shown ; but 

 the four on the now flattened, once circular surface are 

 distinctly exhibited. 



The stellate bodies are usually formed of four pointed pro- 

 jections, which radiate from a central depression ; but in very 

 rare cases they have five rays (PI. IX. figs. 3 and 4). 



In the enlarged view of these stellate bodies given at figure 

 3 on the plate which accompanies Dr. Paterson's description, 

 the segments of the " quadrangular elevations " are represented 

 as springing from a central tubercle ; this is misleading, as 

 no structure of this nature is shown on the fossil. 



* W. C. Williamson, 'Essays and Addresses by Professors and Lec- 

 turers of Owen's College, Manchester/ p. 229. Macmillan, 1874. 



t To the portions between the constrictions of the fruit I have ap- 

 plied the term internodal portions of fruit or snike. 



